Ming Lu’s works encompass sculpture, installation, performance, porcelain, and embroidery, engaging with the tension between contemporary art and traditional Chinese craftsmanship. In an era where Made-in-China mass production has become a global industrial phenomenon, she embraces a handicraft approach—slow, imprecise, and labor-intensive—that remains deeply rooted in collective memory. By humorously employing symbols and figures from myths, legends, and prehistoric culture, Ming Lu intertwines these enduring narratives with her own personal biography, creating a rich dialogue between shared cultural memory and individual experience.

A central aspect of her practice is the exploration of femininity. Her embroideries reimagine female characters drawn from historical myth, while her sculptural works transform everyday objects—cosmetics, lingerie, hair extensions—into anthropomorphic, playful representations of the female body and experience. This metaphorical, deadpan use of familiar materials to engage with profound cultural issues is characteristic of her work, which continually navigates the space between abstraction and literalness, the familiar and the uncanny, absurdity and gravity.

By fusing collective memory, myth, and personal narrative, Ming Lu’s art challenges traditional boundaries and redefines cultural identity. Her work invites viewers to reflect on how the past informs the present and how individual stories contribute to a broader tapestry of heritage and transformation.

Education

2018

Royal College of Art, London, UK.

2016

London College of Communication, London, UK.

 

 

Collection

Musée de Carouge, Switzerland

Artothek – Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin, Germany

 

Solo Exhibitions

2023 Alter Charme – Neues Gewand. Galerie Olymp, Berlin, Germany.

2022 Ming Lu. Haze Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

2021 Tigress, Tigress. BBA Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

2020 Take Place. Bark Berlin, Germany.

2019 Take Place, 210 artists in a white cube. Institut für Alles Mögliche. Berlin, Germany.

2018 Pussy. SomoS Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

 

 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024 Concours International de Céramique. Musée de Carouge. Carouge, Switzerland.

2024 Biennale Chianciano. Museo d’Arte di Chianciano Terme. Italy

2024 Polyes. KA32 Gallery. Berlin, Germany.

2024 Recycling Narratives. Kunstquartier Bethanien. 2024. Berlin, Germany.

2023 – 2024 Fernweh. Mewo Kunsthalle. 2023-24. Memmingen, Germany.

2023 – 2024 4th Lativia Ceramic Biennale. Rothko Museum. Daugavpilsm Latvia.

2023 Folklor. National Agriculture Museum. Ostrava, Czech Republic.

2022 BBA Editions.  BBA Gallery Berlin, Germany

2022 Summer Art Showroom.  Haze Gallery Berlin, Germany

2021 Eine Jugend von heute für die Zukunft Europas. Centre Francais de Berlin. Berlin, Germany

2021 Kultursalon.Forum Factory. Berlin, Germany.

2021 Small Works. LiTE-HAUS Galerie + Projektraum. Berlin, Germany.

2021 Fetish.The Ballery. Berlin, Germany.

2021 BBA Artist Prize Group Exhibition. Kühlhaus. Berlin, Germany.

2021 New Currents. BBA Gallery. Berlin, Germany.

2020 König Open Call Group Show. König Galerie. London, UK

2020 BBA Artist Prize. BBA Gallery. Berlin, Germany

2020 Sunny Art Prize Group Show. Sunny Art Centre. London, UK.

2019 The Female Gaze. Theatre Deli. London, UK

2018 Postgraduate Show. Royal College of Art, London, UK

2018 Night Visions. Museum of London, UK

2018 Dangxia. Chelsea College of Art, London, UK

2017  Acropolis. VR Days Europe, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2017 Acropolis. Royal College of Art, London, UK

2017 WIP show. Royal College of Art, London, UK

2016 90 degrees. London College of Communication, London, UK

 

 

Prizes

Internationaler Nachwuchpreis Keramik “Young Talents” 2024, nomination prize. Germany.

BBA Artist Prize. Winner, 2020. BBA Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

Sunny Art Prize. Shortlisted, 2020. Sunny Art Center, London, UK.

The Prix de la Photographie. Bronze Prize, 2018. Paris, France.

 

 

Residencies

Institut für Alles Mögliche, Berlin, Germany. Oct – Dec 2019.

SomoS Gallery, Berlin, Germany. Oct-Dec 2018.

 

 

Art Fairs

Affordable Art Fair, Nov 9 – 12, Hamburg, Germany.

Art Market Budapest, Oct 6 -9, Budapest, Hungary.

Stroke, May 19 – 22, Munich, Germany.

Discovery Art Fair, Apr 28 – May 1, 2022, Cologne, Germany.

Start Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, Sep 25-29, 2019. London, UK.

Start Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, Sep 13-16, 2018. London, UK.

The Other Art Fair, The Passenger Shed, July 26-29, 2018. Bristol, UK.

 

 

Press

Allgäu Tv, 2023.

Memminger Zeitung, 2023.

Chayka Lv, 2023.

Purplehaze magazine, 2022.

Colossal magazine, 2021.

Aesthetica magazine, February/March issue 2018.