Lu Yang

Biography

Lu Yang (born 1984 in Shanghai, China) is a gender-neutral, interdisciplinary multimedia artist based between Shanghai and Tokyo whose immersive practice merges neuroscience, Buddhist philosophy, and gaming and anime subcultures. After graduating with a Master's degree in New Media Art from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou in 2010, Lu Yang began developing a distinctive visual language that combines 3D animation, video game aesthetics, and religious iconography drawn from Buddhist and Hindu traditions to explore themes of mortality, consciousness, gender, and existential transformation. Lu Yang is best known for the ongoing DOKU series, a set of genderless 3D digital avatars representing different realms of Buddhist reincarnation, which the artist uses as an alter ego and vehicle for exploring identity beyond the constraints of a physical body. Earlier major works, including "Uterus Man," similarly reimagined the body through fantastical, often unsettling, hybrid imagery blending anime, science fiction, and body horror. Lu Yang represented China at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015 and has exhibited at major international institutions including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 2022, Lu Yang was named Deutsche Bank's "Artist of the Year." Lu Yang continues to expand the DOKU universe across virtual reality, immersive installation, and digital avatar platforms, remaining one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary new media art.