… I am so fortunate that I am surrounded by a lot of creative and artsy people, and I get inspired by them everyday. A lot of my friends practice art everyday without even knowing they are artists. For example, my friend Dalang Jin is a spacial designer and she never considered herself as an artist. She designed a series of furniture based on her experience of coming out of depression. Even though the things she made were chairs, beds, desks, and some other everyday objects, they were a form of art expression to me. I ended up curating a solo exhibition for her in Venice and it was a success. A lot of people came to us and said thank you because that exhibition spread awareness of mental illness and made people feel how depression patients feel.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Yiwei Lu.
Yiwei Lu has become one of the most eminent and distinguished independent art curators for the millennial generation. Born and raised in China, she strives to highlight the works of primarily Asian and female artists, photographers, and multi-media creatives through outside-the-box approaches. Lu moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to attend Loyola Marymount University to study film production and photography. Inspired by Emmy-winning director Lauren Greenfield who she had worked for, Lu decided to go to the University of Southern California to pursue a Master’s degree in Visual Anthropology. For her thesis work, Lu did research on the photography collectors’ community in Los Angeles for over a year and made a documentary film about collecting culture. This research and knowledge have helped her extensively as an independent art curator, as she was able to dive deep into what these art collectors were looking for and what piqued their interests within the art world. She has implemented this knowledge in attracting buyers and collectors for her artist clients. In 2019, She founded Yiwei Gallery and mainly focused on pop-up exhibitions and art fairs in Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a traditional family at a small city of China. My parents are traditional in terms that they devoted all their energies into my education, but they are not traditional in the sense that they always supported what I want to do instead of forcing me to a path they want me to go on. They started sending me to piano lessons when I was 5, and then drawing classes, painting classes, writing workshops, English lessons, and etc. I spent my childhood in all kinds of schools and after-school programs, but surprisingly, it didn’t make me hate school. Instead, I loved and appreciated all the education I got and developed my interest in the arts. At the age of 15, I got my first DSLR as a gift for getting into the best high school in my city from my mom. So I started to carry my camera with me to school everyday and shot a lot of portraits of my family and friends. Combining my interest in visual art, design, story telling and music, I decided I want to be a film director in the future. So I applied for film schools in the U.S. and got into the film production program in Loyola Marymount University.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I moved to LA at the age of 18 and immediately immersed myself in the art and film scene here. Hoping that I can become an artist myself, I went to every single important art exhibition opening, art event and art fair. In January 2019, I attended Photo LA art fair in Santa Monica and saw some beautiful work from this Chinese artist Wenlong Ye. He was having a hard time explaining one his work in English to a collector, so I went ahead and translated for him. We ended up selling that work together and Mr. Ye was so happy that he wanted hire me for the rest of the fair. I hesitated because I never had experience working at a gallery setting. But Mr. Ye told me, “ You do not only speak English and Chinese, you also speak the language of photography. You should use your gift and become a bridge connecting the Eastern and Western art world.” I of course accepted that job, and had a blast working at the art fair. Through Mr. Ye, I met more Chinese artists and started working as a curator who brings in Chinese artists to LA.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
What I love about being a curator is that I meet the most interesting people in the world, and they can be artists, collectors, fellow curators, and any art lover. Before I opened my space on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, I was running a house gallery at my home for more than two years. I hosted an artist-in-residence program there in which I invite international artists to live with me and make work about Los Angeles. In the summer of 2020, I invited Peruvian artist Christian Fuchs to do the artist-in-residence program and we spend a month and half together . Christian works with a lot of archival materials, does a lot of research about his ancestors and dresses up as his ancestors in his art. Living with him was an awesome experience because Christian is an artwork himself. He has a secret cake recipe that’s been around in his family for around 200 years and he made that cake for me. Eating his cake was like eating a piece of history.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am hoping to work with more emerging Asian artists and bring them to America in 2022. In May 2022, which is the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I am curating an exhibition at my Venice space that will feature two female Chinese photographers. I am also working with artist James Hayman who is a very established TV producer. He worked on Judging Amy, Ugly Betty, NCIS: New Orleans and other series. James went to China in 1989 to work on a film, and he shot some amazing photos that never got revealed. We went through his 35mm film archieve together and I saw the China that I didn’t even know of. I am currently writing an article about him for a Chinese magazine right now, but I really hope we can go further with these precious photos.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
My mentor Robert Berman is one of the people I admire, respect and look up to the most. He has been an art dealer for more than 40 years, and he knows everyone in the LA art world. He now runs Robert Berman gallery and Santa Monica Auctions in Bergamot Art Center. What I love about Robert is that he is extremely knowledgable about art but also very humble and down to earth. Robert has a very big heart, and he treats everyone equally, no matter if you are a big name or an emerging artist. Robert also has a great taste, which I get inspired from everyday. In his house, you can see very rare museum-quality artworks, and you can also find objects found at flea markets. I love his mix-and-match style because I am an absolute maximalist too!
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
From my art community. I am so fortunate that I am surrounded by a lot of creative and artsy people, and I get inspired by them everyday. A lot of my friends practice art everyday without even knowing they are artists. For example, my friend Dalang Jin is a spacial designer and she never considered herself as an artist. She designed a series of furniture based on her experience of coming out of depression. Even though the things she made were chairs, beds, desks, and some other everyday objects, they were a form of art expression to me. I ended up curating a solo exhibition for her in Venice and it was a success. A lot of people came to us and said thank you because that exhibition spread awareness of mental illness and made people feel how depression patients feel.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
When I first came to LA, I was dying to see more art from Asian artists. Even though we are physically closer to Asia than New York, Asian artists don’t get as much exposure as in New York. Things have gotten better the past couple years, but still, we just don’t see many emerging Asian artists here. I really want to change this situation and connect the Eastern and Western art world, and that’s what I have been working on.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It would be “young collectors supporting young artists” movement. A lot of people (especially young people) think collecting art is far away from them, but the truth is you don’t have to have a lot of money in order to start to collect, especially when you buy work from younger and emerging artists and gallerists. It might cost as much as a nice handbag, but it will bring you great aesthetic enjoyment everyday. You are supporting these artists to continue to do their work.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
I would love to meet Wallis Annenberg, the President and Chairwoman of the Board of The Annenberg Foundation. She is a big art lover, collector and supporter. Annenberg Space of Photography was my favorite place to hang out before it closed.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Yiwei Lu: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist Curator was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.