Lu Chao (Chinese: 陆超) was born in 1988 in Shenyang, China. The artist currently lives and works between London and Beijing.
Lu Chao's paintings are mostly filled with sketch-like portrayals of a massive number of different faces, evoking a sense of mystery and strangeness. For the artist, the unknown is sublime and he avoids using his work as a carrier for opinions, preferring to leave the door open for viewers to interpret the pieces on their own. He aim to establish an exchange between viewers and the larger universe around them by integrating an expanding world into his own labyrinth of personalized patterns. Through his works, Lu Chao exposes us to the unknown and strangeness of our life, of our world and of our state of mind. We find it difficult to truly understand our own persona, and we find it even more exhausting to comprehend the world around us. The gap between what we do and what we do not know, shapes the beauty and excitements of life.
Lu Chao completed his Masters at the Painting Department of the Royal College of Art (London, UK) in 2014 and finished his Bachelor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China) oil painting department in 2012. He also attended Fine Arts School Affiliated to China Central Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 2008.
2017 Black Box, HDM Gallery, Beijing, China
2016 Black Light, Nathalie Obadia Galerie, Paris, France
2015 Black Mirror, Art Basel, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2013 Black Forest, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Beijing, China
Lu Chao has been the recipient of prestigious art prizes, as in 2014 with the Painter-Stainers Goron Luton Award at the Royal College of Art (London, United Kingdom), the Solo Award Runners Up (London, United Kingdom), the RCA Studio (London, United Kingdom), in 2013 with the Lucy Halford Bursary at the Royal College of Art (London, United Kingdom), in 2012 with the Best Creative Awards from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China), in 2011 with the Excellent Sketching Award from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China), or in 2012 with the Silver Prize at the Today Art Museum (Beijing, China).