Laozi’s Furnace

Early alchemists yearned for an imperishable physical form, anchoring the Chinese concept of immortality firmly within the material realm. Today, artists in Laozi’s Furnace inherit their legacy by delving into material exploration. Yet instead of transmuting base metals into gold, they wonder: what else is possible? Can a tank be stitched from leather? Can shadows be crafted from clay? The artist’s studio, like the alchemist’s laboratory, becomes a crucible of experimentation. Pushing, pinching, cutting, and stitching – one shape metamorphoses into another, as if under a sorcerer’s spell.

Lu Pingyuan, Shadow of the Shadow, 2021, foam, resin, modelling clay, paint, dimensions variable, approx. 306 x 2000 x 300cm. Courtesy the artist and White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney

White Rabbit Gallery
26 June to 10 November 2024
Sydney

HELP DESK:
subscribe@artistprofile.com.au | PH: +612 8227 6486