Liu Yue from Hebei, China, studied photography in Paris, L’école EFET and L’école Penninghen. She works as a freelancer photographer based in Shanghai, China.

I try to tell some tiny fables with photos. The first set of pictures are from my series called The Icicle Melts (The Chinese title translated as The Animals in Grid System). It is about “life in destiny” which is what I saw in the zoo. The rules of nature, the rules of human society, life falling into the world is like a material falling into the grid system. Many things are defined and planned, and life carries its worst and best. Freedom does not exist, nor does the plight. The parrot is asleep. “Chirp, Chirp,” says the pigeon. “Huh?” says bear. ” Huh?” says the little rabbit. “Uh…” says the hippo who is painting. “See you,” says the kitten. “See you,” says the puppy. Hearing that they are leaving, the tree slowly leans over, wanting to hug everyone goodbye. But the tree is moving so slowly that by the time he finally leans over, the other animals are already dead.

“Coming,” says the raindrop. Plop, Plop, Plop.

The second series are from another collection, recording a road in a seaside village. I took these pictures after a two-month lockdown in Shanghai by the Chinese government. The collection is called Emergency Walk.