Cole Lu

Cole Lu (b. 1984, Taipei, Taiwan) is an artist and writer based in New York. By fusing historical and literary references with lived experiences, Lu’s work tells stories of dissonance and longing through winding odysseys. His sculptures and paintings are made of burnt wood panels, linen, engraved metal, and concrete, forming elaborate scenes of mythological retelling. Through pyrography and extensive titles, Lu yields to the poetic origins of storytelling liberating his work from established hierarchies of form. The meditative and laborious act of burning spans greatly in scale, from intimate to immersive, as Lu builds worlds where mythology and autobiography intertwine and are reborn.

Lu has exhibited at the Bangkok Art Biennale, Bangkok; Each Modern, Taipei; Herald St, London; ICA at MECA&D, Portland; Chapter, New York; Nir Altman, Munich; The Drawing Center, New York; and CAM, St. Louis. In October 2023, he published First Pylon by Inpatient Press in October 2023.