Lu Pingyuan

Lu Pingyuan (b. 1984, Zhejiang Province, China) lives in Shanghai. Lu writes stories as a way to express his artistic points of view. These stories are enigmatic and spiritual, sometimes accompanied by fear. The stories – partly authentic, partly fictional – are all initiated from the art field.

For Liverpool Biennial 2016, Lu has written a series of stories that can be encountered across episodes, and in the Biennial’s book. One describes a two-sided lake that a diver uses to swim between continents, and another tells the tale of little Kiki whose origami figure comes to life as a disgruntled artist. A third, which can be seen painted on the side of the Epic Hotel as part of the Monuments from the Future episode, reveals a dystopian future, where a factory full of Van Gogh clones endlessly produce paintings made from the remains of their unsuccessful colleagues. 

Around the corner from Cains Brewery the artist has installed a door, set into a brick wall, which acts a portal between Liverpool and Manchester. The title, Do Not Open It, is a warning. Lu hopes to install similar doors all over the world, imagining that they will all remain closed forever.

Lu’s solo exhibitions include venues such as MadeIn Gallery, Shanghai, China (2015); A4 Contemporary Art Center, Chengdu, China (2014); Goethe Open Space, Goethe Institute, Shanghai, China (2013); Hemuse Gallery, Beijing, China (2012); and Gallery Box, Gothenburg, Sweden (2012). Group shows include Moscow Biennial, Russia; the 3rd Ural Biennial, Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria (2015); Cc Foundation, Shanghai, China (2015); the 3d Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Ural, Russia (2015); V Art Center, Shanghai, China (2013); and Bund 18 Gallery, Shanghai, China (2011).

Lu Pingyuan at Liverpool Biennial 2016

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Do Not Open It, 2016
Wooden door and metal door handle
Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial
Exhibited on Grafton Street

Van Gogh Ltd, 2016
Text painted on the side of a building wall
Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), Manchester
Exhibited on EPIC Hotel

The Artist made of Paper, 2016
Foldable paper
Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), Manchester
Exhibited at Cains Brewery

The Two-Sided Lake, 2016
Paper
Exhibited at Hondo Chinese Supermarket