We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yiwei Lu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yiwei below.

Yiwei, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I want to introduce my photo project Simulated Earth.

It’s about the hydraulic model that my father works on. The idea of Simulated Earth comes from René Descartes’s simulated earth theory. The theory is the proposal that all of reality, including the Earth and the rest of the universe, could be an artificial simulation. Usually, when talking about Simulated Earth, we will think of some electronic high-tech things, such as computer simulation or metaverse. But here is the hydraulic model built with concrete and bricks. The hydraulic model is a scaled-down model used to simulate ocean currents, docks, etc. in marine engineering. It is a research approach to solving engineering problems through simulation based on a similar theory.
Meanwhile, I grew up there with these small bridges and fake grass because my father is a hydraulic engineer. I watched my father walking through that shadow and sunlight, looking at the world he made. Humans become the god at a specific moment and space to recreate the nature that can be controlled by them. It was the first time I really understood his profession, his life outside of fatherhood.

Every shooting, I visit the different model halls with my father. He explains to me the purpose of each model and the principles for the experiment. I don’t know much about hydraulic engineering, but I understand what I am looking at and my father. This scientific experiment is a simulation of the earth we live in, just as photography is a replica of reality.

This project marks the first time, to some degree of ambiguity, that I have merged myself with the subject of my gaze. As a creator, most of the time, I habitually choose to separate myself from the creation, maintaining a certain distance.

The project took a year to be completely photographed, but in reality, the relationship between this project and myself began from the moment I was born. This time, my perspective is no longer that of a bystander, but one who is seeking the intertwined threads of my existence and that of my father in this simulated Earth.

In this project, I first felt the weighty epic feeling of time and self behind the work. Before any photographic action began, the waters in the simulated Earth were already surging with hidden currents.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! I’m Yiwei Lu. I’m a fine art photographer. My work has been exhibited internationally in group shows, including The Wallach Art Gallery, Nanjing Powerlong Art Center, Trieste Photo Days festival, SVA Library, SVA Galleries, Nanjing University of Arts, and Nanjing Open Air Art Project. Yiwei is pursuing an MFA in Visual Art from Columbia University and hold an BFA in Photography and Video from the School of Visual Arts.

I was inspired by the ideas in New Topographics, those that focus on the man-altered and the social landscape. Created by humans, left with traces of use, they become part of our society and the figurative representation of collective memory. When I press the shutter, an empathetic connection is established between my life and my subject. My method of work begins with direct experience, followed by research, then recording with objectivity. Yet this documentary quality of my work is deceptive. Although the viewer may feel empathy, I am the one emotionally attached to the experience. My work adopts a strategy that combines the vision that John Szarkowski describes in Mirrors and Windows: objectivity and subjectivity. Mixed lighting is used to emphasize the complex levels of depth, fooling the eye. Selectively repositioning the objects alters the narrative. Changing the sequence of the photographs introduces a fake timeline, thereby creating a more believable, yet fictional world.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In the early stages of artist career, it’s often difficult to monetize our creations. At the same time, we also need to invest a significant amount of money and energy into the creative process. This is why many artists need to apply for artist grants to receive support, and also take on part-time jobs to supplement their livelihoods.

Many grants, as well as artist residency programs, are supported by government agencies. These opportunities often help artists get through the early stages and bottlenecks of their careers. In May of this year, I returned to my hometown of Nanjing, China, to participate in an artist residency program hosted by the Powerlong Art Center. During this period, I had my own working studio in the exhibition space, with the support of a curatorial team. I’m glad that I would able to have the space and assistance to create a completely new set of works this summer.

For artists, the most important thing is to exhibit their works, whether in galleries, art fairs, or other exhibition venues, to attract audiences and collectors. Many exhibitions are also organized by non-profit organizations. I hope there will be more opportunities like this in the future for artists.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to find more possibilities about photography and become a refrigerator.

I could be an object instead of human, I would be a refrigerator. When I started to make photographs, I had the feeling that I was translating my emotions directly onto objects, like putting things with significant memories in the refrigerator. Later, I realized these personal feelings were only meaningful to me, and that the way art can really touch people is through standing on an emotional common ground. The time framed in each photo is eternally the same moment. This is the characteristic of photography as a medium. Even the second congealed in a snapshot will linger if the sun continues to blaze.

Contact Info:

• Website: thelyw.com
• Instagram: luyiweitina