Artist Statement | LU Lei

About marks

Time always leaves its historic trace, for example, those elements which have appeared in my works: the auditorium, the map, the engine oil and the Morse code, contain transformed emotions. Some people might think I am trying to express a certain political view through my works. However, I just convert the ideas floating through my head into some kind of images.

For instance, when I was a child I particularly loved codes, and always wanted to be a detective, to acquire communication skills inaccessible to others, so these things leave a deep impression on me. And I think I might be a nostalgic person.

A lot of materials I use are disappearing or even hard to find, and I think this (phenomenon) is really interesting. What else can be a better option to be the mark of time? So I am aching to take advantage of them and organize them. Although it might sound hypocritical while talking too much about this thing, but the truth is all the artists can’t deny the influence of their childhood. The marks of time decide what he will do and how to do it later.

About origins

I’m really influenced by classicism. I kept learning classical art and early modern art, all out of love, when I was at college. And consequently the influence of that time is deep and profound. I don’t tend to be avant-garde, for it’s not a style.

Many of my works originate from hypothesis and trance , I would capture some images while in a trance, such as, “dark clouds”、“The Spring for Crow”、“The bridge break off by wind”. My choice of materials of works are much related to my life in a factory yard when I was young. The huge half-abandoned factory, together with irons, ores and engine oil, projected an air of texture and power. I am so familiar with these elements that my later works naturally speak of the order of modern industrial civilization. The way to apply these multiple elements, is decided by the coherence of the images obtained when I am in a trance and the elements themselves.

About creation

I emphasis on feeling when doing works, a word, a graph or even a sentence can inspire me. I don’t like to create on an assigned topic, and I quite enjoy creating freely. Creation becomes quite boring without freedom. Nor do I rely particularly on sensibility. When I am not sure about perceptual knowledge, I would use data and mathematics to help work. So it’s a kind of fifty-fifty work.

Not all the feelings can be turned into reality. For instance, if I find a graph on the ground unintentionally and want to use it, I will consider about the appropriate materials and a general sense of direction, and then analyses the feasibility. Take my new work the king and the queen as an example, the height was reduced from more than 2 meters to 1.78meters on account of the limits of materials and other things.

About works

All the works have insides and outsides. I hope the audience can get information without lots of effort. Undoubtedly works have inner context. What I want to express may not be important, on the contrary, others may have better understanding. It’s impossible for me to pursue perfection, but I hope to reach the balance of order.

I don’t mean to mystify the inner context if it seems quite obscure. I just don’t like plots intricately woven together. If there’s no possibility that people can accept the inner context, then feel the outside. The outside also has details, and is even easier to experience.