Yao, Lu
Chinese, b.1967
BiographyModeled after traditional Chinese calligraphy paintings, Yao Lu creates digital montages that represent an industrialized contemporary landscape. The pastel color palette at first seem idyllic, but upon closer inspection, reveal a manufactured green mesh fabric covering manmade construction sites, polluted grey waters, and smog hovering instead of mist. The works considers the history of China and some of its representations in art in stark contrast to the ever-growing crisis of pollution and declining air quality. Lu won the Paris Photo BMW Prize for contemporary photography (2008) and was short listed for the Prix Pictet award (2009). He has been included in numerous exhibitions, including at the Museum of Photographic Art, San Diego; the Royal Academy of Art, London, UK; Fotofest International in Houston; and Paris Photo, France; among many others.