Today we’d like to introduce you to Luyao Chang

Hi Luyao, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I think arts has always been in my life and I always love it. When I was in sophomore year high school under all the pressure of Gaokao, the Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges in China, facing need to choose my future career, I started to think what I actually loved and kept doing it till then. And I realized it was art always there.
There was a gallerist gave me the advice, she believed studying in art history/theory before diving into art practice will benefit my artist career a lot. Then I went to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China for a BA in Art History. During my undergraduate, even I was drawn to all the knowledge of art history and really enjoyed researching and writing, I never forgot making art and still want to go a MFA for Fine Arts. So I came to US three years ago and studied at School of Visual Arts in New York. I guess that’s how I started.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

The path is never straightforward. One of the biggest challenges is balancing the creation of new work while staying connected with people in the art world—and even trying to forge new connections. Sometimes I reach out directly to museum directors or curators, inviting them to my open studios or other events, knowing they may never respond. It’s a normal part of the process, but I have to keep pushing and trying consistently.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

My work seeks to portray the nuanced realities we inhabit, focusing on the exploration of social norms and repression. Born in Japan and raised in China from the age of six, I experienced firsthand the pervasive manipulation of information in both countries, shaped by political narratives designed to serve state purposes. This upbringing instilled in me the importance of vigilance, skepticism, and critical thinking. As an artist, my installations, sculptures, and video works aim to counter the blaring, chauvinist rhetoric of national becoming and to work towards a more inclusive historical archive.

Following my thesis project, WarmBed (2024), I’ve developed a new artistic language, using hair as a symbolic embodiment of world-building—bridging the external and internal, the physical world and my internal world. It’s a non-binary world, an epitome of our world, a world that was presented as a utopia but is really a dystopia. I recently just completed another several small-scaled ceramic wall pieces, which will be exhibited at Art Fair | Detroit at the end of September and my first solo show at Chinese American Arts Council | Gallery 456 in November in New York.

How do you think about luck?

To be honest, I don’t really believe in luck when it comes to my life and career. I think these are aspects I should actively work on and take control of. Relying on luck feels like giving away a part of my power, which doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t deny that luck can play a role, but I see it as a small factor. For me, it’s more about timing than luck.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lululuyaochang.cargo.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/6u6usaferoom/

Image Credits

Personal photo: photography: Guy Nechmad Stern
Additional photos:
pic 2: photography: Joseph O’Malley
pic 3 & 8: photography: Haoyu Zhao, editing: Lulu Luyao Chang
pic 1, 4, 5, 6, 7: Lulu Luyao Chang