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| Lu Xinjian, The Triumph of New York, Acrylic on canvas |
Growing up in rural China, Lu Xinjian dreamt of living in a city. Now, as a leading contemporary artist, cities lie at the very heart of his celebrated work, transforming skylines into emotional landscapes that speak to our deepest connections with place.
Cities have had a profoundly formative influence on Lu Xinjian's life and artistic vision. As a child raised in a rural area during China's rapid modernization of the 1980s and 1990s, he was passionately drawn to the idea of living in a big city, although, he admits with a reflective smile, "I had no idea of what a city was. It was just an abstract dream I had."
This childhood yearning would prove prophetic. These days,
having lived in major Chinese cities including Nanjing, Shenzhen, Beijing and
now Shanghai, as well as studying in the Netherlands where he encountered
European urban sensibilities, Lu fully understands both the exhilarating
possibilities and undoubted challenges of urban life. Each city has left its
mark on his artistic consciousness, contributing layers to his understanding of
what makes a metropolis pulse with life.
Lu's breakthrough came with his iconic series, "City DNA," which can be seen as bold celebrations of the metropolis in all its complexity—from the gridded intensity of Manhattan to the organic sprawl of Tokyo, from the historic charm of European capitals to the vertical ambitions of Asian megacities. "A city is an abstract impression of emotions and experiences, intertwined with its economic and social trajectories," Lu explains.
The series, which has garnered international attention and
found homes in prestigious collections worldwide, represents more than mere
artistic interpretation. For the collectors who have commissioned Lu to create
paintings devoted to their hometowns, these works carry emotional resonance.
"These are not just cities, but a love-hate experience—a part of life that
is worth remembering. Each street, each house has a story," he reflects.
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| Lu Xinjian, Mayfair, 2013, Acrylic on canvas |
Lu's painting technique is a testament to patience and precision, requiring weeks of preparation before brush touches canvas. The process begins with extensive research, as he studies aerial views of his chosen city on Google Earth, often spending hours absorbing the urban patterns from this god's-eye perspective. He looks for the underlying structure—the way highways curve around natural barriers, how residential areas cluster, where commercial districts intersect.
The artist then translates these observed patterns into carefully crafted vinyl stencils, a painstaking process that can take days to complete. Using these stencils, he applies paint to canvas in methodical layers. But these faithful reproductions are then transformed through his artistic vision into juxtaposed lines and geometric shapes, with any obvious identifying landmarks deliberately erased from the finished artwork. The Eiffel Tower disappears, the Empire State Building vanishes—what remains is something more essential.
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| Lu Xinjian, Paris, Acrylic on canvas |
The result is a series of abstract, graphic paintings intended to resonate with viewers' emotions and memories rather than their ability to identify specific locations. Lu's sophisticated use of color plays a crucial role in this emotional connection. Often working in bold, primary colors, he sometimes draws inspiration directly from national flags or cultural associations. His Stockholm painting, for example, glows in the blue and gold of the Swedish flag, while his Beijing work might incorporate the deep reds associated with Chinese culture.
"Usually I pick color based on the city's identity
directly—it represents the city's culture and character," Lu explains.
"That's why you find I'm always working in primary colors. But sometimes I
use my own impression of the color of a place." This intuitive approach to
color allows him to capture something beyond the merely visual—the emotional
temperature of a place, its psychological atmosphere.
Lu's work has been exhibited in galleries across Asia,
Europe, and North America, with his City DNA series becoming particularly
sought after by collectors who see in these abstract urban portraits something
of their own relationship with place.
As urbanization continues to reshape our world, Lu's
artistic exploration of urban identity feels increasingly prescient. His work
asks fundamental questions: What makes a city recognizable beyond its famous
monuments? How do we carry the essence of places within us?
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