Lu Yu (b. 1997, Chengdu, Sichuan), is a mixed media artist currently based in Shanghai. In 2019, she graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in interior design. Having resided in New York, Vancouver, Seoul, and Chengdu, Lu Yu gained firsthand insights into the lifestyles and perspectives from people of various cultural backgrounds. Her training and professional experience in interior design and architecture have formed a rigorous approach to materiality and fabrication, which she has integrated into her mixed media practice since 2023.
The term “epidemiology,” derived from its etymological roots, refers to “the study of what is upon the public.” Adopting an epidemiological perspective, Lu Yu’s practice examines sociocultural pathologies as they manifest within the individual. Through a research-based and materially sensitive approach, her work explores and visualizes the causes, symptoms, complications, and potential treatments of these conditions.