In Nan Ke Gallery's recent dual solo exhibition "rooted，yet flowing" , Amber Xiangning Lu's works are scattered in old houses. Sewing machines, beaded curtains, and paintings filled with poetic fantasies, together demonstrate the artist's capture of memories and emotions.
If "root" is the place of origin, the inescapable memories of past experiences and identity shaping, "freedom" is not the opposite of it, but rather a complementary balance. In the journey of capturing the past, the creative mind can continue to grow towards the demarcation line between the real and the imaginary.
对话 ART TALKDialogue with Amber Xiangning Lu
"How do you understand the ‘roots’ of your creations? Where do the motivation and ideas for your creations come from?"
‘Roots’ represents one's starting point, including one's upbringing, past experiences and the process of exploration in creation. Perhaps due to the influence of my architectural studies, my works are often project-based. Each time, I will conceptualise a space - usually a mental space or a fictional space - and then put myself into the shoes of the visitors, thinking about what I want them to see, hear or perceive, so as to enrich the content of the space.
Installation view of rooted, yet flowing, December 28, 2024 - February 23, 2025, Nan Ke Gallery, Shanghai © Courtesy Nan Ke Gallery, Photographed by Runxin.
If the details of the exhibition venue are known, I will adapt the scale and form of the works to the actual space and try to make the works relate to the real space on a historical or cultural level. For example, in this exhibition, as the gallery is located in an old residential building, I recreated common household objects of the last century such as beaded door curtains and sewing machines in the gallery, letting them stay in place like ghosts.
In the past two years, my works are mostly based on memories. I will extract those moments from daily life that are easily overlooked but full of uncertainty and uneasiness, and recreate them through the mediums of painting, installation, video and sound, creating a spatial atmosphere that is between the real and the imaginary.
"What is your understanding of ‘freedom’ in the creative process?"
My understanding of ‘freedom’ is the part that is not bound by reality. Although creation itself is already a relatively free process, there are still a lot of rules to follow. When I think about the birth of a piece of work, the most exciting moment for me is usually the moment when the inspiration takes shape after much deliberation - maybe it's a sketch, a simple model, or a piece of text on a post-it note. That stage of thinking and refining is uninhibited, and the sky is the limit.
Amber Xiangning Lu
They Remained Unseen, 2024
Feather, print, plastic, resin
77h x 75w x 50d cm / Each2+1AP
© Courtesy of the artist
However, in the actual process, each material has its own specific properties, digital equipment has its own parameter limitations, and there are some invisible constraints from the outside world. Therefore, on the basis of balancing these factors, I am able to break through the limitations of myself and the environment, which allows me to realise the true meaning of creative freedom.
“What is your favourite material or technique to use in your creations? What are the reasons for this?"
My favourite material is wood, especially old wood related to furniture. Old wood carries the various traces left by the tree from the time it grows, becomes furniture, and is then used, and has a strong temporal attribute in itself, while wood is ideal as a vehicle for oil paintings.
Amber Xiangning Lu
Store at Room Temperature I & II , 2024
Oil on reclaimed wood, camphor, wood wax finish
17h x 44w x 31d cm
© Courtesy of the artist
In addition, as my work involves spatial experience, I often use 3D printed resin and acrylic to reproduce everyday objects. In this process, I favour translucent materials to create a dreamlike, surreal effect. The projects on display also use natural materials with regional characteristics such as cangue and coal essence, as I wish to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces. This is a part of the direction I like very much, and I hope to continue to deepen it.
"What do you hope to try next?"
This year I plan to explore materials in more depth. At the moment I am very interested in glass, which is relatively stable in transparent or translucent materials and very diverse in its processes. I am learning to kiln make glass and experimenting with a variety of glass pigments, combining glass with painting and working with other materials I am familiar with, with the expectation of creating more layered works.
Amber Xiangning Lu
The Night Before, 2024
Reclaimed wood, oil and acrylic on panel, camphor, wood wax finish, acrylic
113h x 66w x 26d cm
© Courtesy of the artist
As the current project nears completion, I may continue to deepen my ideas for 2019 and start a new project on ‘Chinese Style’. This project will explore themes of trade, colonialism, cultural exchange and misinterpretation through the lens of interior design.
February 16, 2025
