Born in 1962 in Dajia Township, Taichung County, Liao Shengwen graduated from Dajia Technical High School. He then worked in his father’s pickle business until an injury impaired his gait. In 1996, Mr. Liao studied at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Center, which included workshops to transfer the skills of noted lacquer artist Chen Xi. From that time dates his own determination to create lacquerware art.

Liao Shengwen completed his studies the following year. In the Taiwan Province 52nd Art Exhibition, held in Taichung County, he received the award for second place in arts and crafts, alongside the numerous domestic and foreign exhibitors invited. He then returned to Dajia to establish his own lacquerware workshop, which came to represent more than an individual creation.

Liao also committed himself to the promotion of lacquerware. He lectured at workshops in the Fengyuan City Library, and, after 2004, taught lacquer studies respectively at the National Center for Traditional Arts and the Fengyuan Lacquer Art Museum, as well as elsewhere. In 2006, for the first time, he won the Taiwan Craft award and in the following year joined the Taiwan National Craft Research and Development Center.

Liao Shengwen’s lacquerware creations make use of natural paints, and the extra work needed to produce the exceptionally light “bodiless” style. He relies on three colors, red, black, and gold, but also actively experiments with new materials. Thus, he employed modern acrylic foam material at the Taiwan National Craft Research and Development Center (2009), teaming with a designer there to use lacquered driftwood in the creation of an irregularly shaped cupboard. With Zhou Yurun, he created an apple-shaped lacquer stool displayed at the Milan International Furniture Show.