Yao Lu
Artist statement:
Generally speaking, my works use the form of traditional Chinese painting to express the
face of China. Today China is developing dramatically and many things are under
constant construction. Meanwhile many things have disappeared and continue to
disappear. The rubbish dumps covered with the 'shield', a green netting, are a ubiquitous
phenomenon in China.
I want the world to be able to make a benign transformation. People must protect the
environment. This work implies that the world should become more and more
harmonious. Photography can be understood in traditional ways: It can 'record' many
histories long before our own time, and it can take people back to times and situations
many years ago. But photography is also very contemporary. It can re-assemble and reedit
the things that we actually see in order to produce illusions that people see when
they are in front of such photographic works. In these works, you see images that are
both real and fictional.
Concerning the style of my works, I believe in maintaining a beautiful feeling in the
framing of the image, including composition, line, density and framing, all the elements
regularly contained in painting. I think a good art work is composed of many elements,
and it should reflect the knowledge and the skill of the artist. A good artwork has
intelligence.
The flexibility of photography provides a big expressive space for me. I can work with it
in many ways in making my creations.