Liaw, Anson

American-Canadian illustrator and fine artist Anson Liaw has established a distinguished career at the crossroads of design, communication, and fine art. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art, now OCAD University, Liaw's illustrations have appeared in major international publications, including Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as in campaigns for McDonald's and the National Ballet of Canada. His work has been exhibited widely in invitational shows around the world and recognized by leading organizations such as American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Hiii Illustration International Awards, Applied Arts Magazine, 3x3, The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art and Design, Luerzer’s Archive, Illustration: A Theoretical and Contextual Perspective, Third Edition by Alan Male (Author), published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts in the United Kingdom, and The Big Book of Illustration Ideas 2 by Roger Walton (Author), published by Harper Design.

Liaw's illustrations are notable for their ability to fuse the familiar with the unexpected, creating visual metaphors that provoke recognition and reflection. His practice embraces cultural, political, and social concerns, delivering images that operate both as art and as incisive commentary. In addition to his prolific professional career, Liaw served as an instructor at OCAD University, where he mentored the next generation of artists and designers. His contributions affirm the power of illustration as a medium of thought, empathy, and dialogue in contemporary visual culture.

Beyond his professional work as an illustrator, fine artist and OCAD University Faculty of Design instructor, Anson Liaw also has a love and passion for working as a Referee for the sport of ball hockey for the Ontario Ball Hockey Federation (OBHF) in Canada where he is deeply humbled and honoured to be awarded by the Board of Directors and all members of the Ontario Ball Hockey Federation (OBHF) to receive the OBHF 2024 Referee of the Year Award which was awarded to an individual who has excelled at every level of Ball Hockey Refereeing in 2024.

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 spark and motivate me to achieve my objectives in creating purposeful artwork that hopefully generates meaningful and fulfilling empathetic connections with 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.”

- Anson Liaw

"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