Liaw, Anson

Anson Liaw is an accomplished illustrator based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With a degree Communication & Design Department Design Advertising Program at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University), his illustrations have become an integral part of numerous projects, spanning magazines, book publications, corporate communications, packaging, and advertising.

Anson’s illustrations embody a critical viewpoint, addressing a wide spectrum of subjects, including social, political, cultural issues, and lifestyle matters.

Drawing inspiration from everyday life, personal memories, and imagination, he skillfully combines various elements to construct new and unexpected meanings. His work sparks discussions, encouraging viewers to engage, appreciate, and discover something new about the world every day.

Anson’s talent has garnered recognition and accolades from prestigious organizations such as American Illustration, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA), Applied Arts Magazine, and 3x3, The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, among others. His illustrations have been featured in renowned publications and exhibitions worldwide, including Luerzer’s Archive and Illustration: A Theoretical and Contextual Perspective by Alan Male; 3rd edition, Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Throughout his career, Anson has collaborated with a diverse range of clients, including Time Magazine, McDonald’s, The New York Times, Nestle, and The National Ballet of Canada, to name a few. Additionally, he shares his love and passion for the arts by teaching at OCAD University and Virtute Innovation Academy in Canada, nurturing the next generation of creative minds.

Artist Statement

“I feel I am useless as an artist when I am happy. Pain is what creates my artwork. The painful experiences that people go through as they journey through life in the world around us from childhood to adulthood which in many ways is full of chaos and hardship are what sparks and motivates me to possess my objectives to make purposeful artwork that hopefully generates meaningful and fulfilling empathetic connections to people. As I observe and interpret the world around me combined with creating my artwork, I discover time and time again that true beauty lies within the darkness and that sometimes nightmares are the birthplace of some of the best ideas for an artist.”

"What I expect from any work of art is that it surprises me, that it violates my customary valuations of things and offers me other, unexpected ones."

- Jean Dubuffet