Liu Xiaoyi is an artist, curator, educator, and cultural strategist who currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Singaporean arts group “The Emergency Stairs”. He is widely recognized as one of the most representative and pivotal figures in the fields of contemporary experimental theatre and intercultural exchange in Asia.
For over two decades, he has continuously pushed the experimental boundaries of theatrical language. He is particularly adept at initiating deep collaborations within cross-cultural and cross-regional contexts, dedicating himself to the institutional construction of independent arts ecosystems, and driving multifaceted dialogues between art, society, technology, and education. Liu is also highly active in curation, criticism, and education. In recent years, the numerous platforms he has spearheaded—such as “Southernmost,” “Emergency Camp,” “Peripheral Experiment” and “Emergency Academy”—have become vital networks for cultural practice in Asia.
He is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal, the Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council of Singapore, and the “Global Outstanding Young Leader” distinction by Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly). Since 2023, he has served as a resident artist in Linjiang New District, Jiangsu, China. In 2024, he was appointed Senior Research Fellow at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore, and in 2025, he was invited as a guest professor at the University of Giessen in Germany.