Xiaochen (Eric) Lu (b. 2000, China) is a Chinese artist and photographer currently based in Los Angeles. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2024 and is now pursuing his MFA at University of Southern California. As a passionate photographer since 2013, Lu practices all genres of photography ranging from documentary to alternative processes. Additionally, Lu works with other mediums as well including but not limited to screen printing, graphic design and moving image.
Lu primarily engages with mark-making, the human condition and social activism in his work.
“Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom.” Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer has spelt out the truth about human life more than two centuries ago. Through my work, I intend to portray and examine the inescapable suffering ingrained within life and the intricate essences of the human condition. I capture and present the various ways people experience and endure pain, misfortunes and tragedies both in daily life and unusual times. It is my hope that my work can evoke empathy and raise the viewer’s awareness for those in pain.
“生命就像钟摆，在痛苦与无聊间反复摇摆。” 德国哲学家叔本华在两个多世纪之前就已然道出了生活的真相。在我的创作中，我试图描绘并审视人生中根深蒂固、无法闪避的痛苦以及 “人的境况” (the human condition) 中错综复杂的元素。我捕捉、呈现人们各种承受痛苦与不幸的方式，不论在日常生活中还是极端境遇下。我希望我的作品能够唤起观者对正在经历痛苦的人们的共情与承认。