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LU YU 鲁钰
b. 1997, works and lives in Shanghai
LU YU 鲁钰
2024
Linen, medical gauze, resin clay, oil paint, slaughter hook
202(H)*75*15cm
LUY_6691

Colossal, docile, grotesque bodies resembling large domesticated animals are suspended above eye level. The surfaces of skin are printed with gentian violet-colored junk information from public websites such as social media or news platforms. The "scrolling stamps" are filled with ineffective messages, malicious comments, and blurry images. These fleeting and fragmented content become the permanent marks on slaughtered animal skin, becoming the only identity of this body and the impression that others could read.

Gentian violet, as a staining agent, has been extensively applied across fields such as politics, medicine, and agriculture due to its vivid coloration and resistance to fading. In some Southeast Asian and Eastern European countries, gentian violet is used during elections to mark voters’ fingers, with its vibrant purple stain fading only after 14 days through metabolic processes. Forensic professionals use gentian violet to extract fingerprints or detect blood traces, uncovering subtle evidence of “what once existed.” On pig carcasses, stamps made with gentian violet convey critical information, including the date and location of death, whereabouts, purpose of use, and health condition. These markings, impervious even to high-temperature cooking, serve as the carcass’s only identity and an indelible impression for interpretation. In this series, the artist investigates and incorporates gentian violet as a metaphoric chemical of “enforced labeling,” “evidence of existence,” and “assigned identity,” symbolizing the inescapable and often coercive expectations imposed by societal structures.

Related Exhibitions:
Art Basel 2025, Art Fairs Basel, Switzerland 06.16, 2025 -06.22, 2025



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