Contemporary Artist Lu Yiying: The Fusion of Cross-Cultural Creation and Digital Art

Lu Yiying is a unique artist whose work blends multicultural backgrounds with innovations of the digital age. Born in Shanghai, educated in Sydney and London, and ultimately based in San Francisco, Lu Yiying is known for her ability to communicate across languages and cultures.

Lu Yiying's artistic career is closely connected with technological development. She is widely known for creating the famous "Failing Whale" illustration, which became an iconic image during the downtime of a certain social platform in 2008. The piece titled "Lifting a Dreamer" depicts a white whale being lifted by eight orange birds with a rope, symbolizing the emotional weight of distance and the longing for closeness.

In 2016, Lu Yiying advocated for the addition of a dumpling emoji, adding more warmth to digital communication. Subsequently, she designed several popular food emojis, including dumplings 🥟, bubble tea 🧋, chopsticks 🥢, takeout box 🥡, and fortune cookie 🥠, as well as a peacock emoji 🦚.

In 2021, with the rise of NFT art, Lu Yiying also began to venture into this field. She launched limited edition and unique NFT works on multiple platforms, and donated the proceeds from one of the series to marine conservation organizations.

After three years of accumulation, Lu Yiying is preparing to launch a brand new series of NFT works. This upcoming series is part of an event that will delve into human experiences and emotions, and may also pay homage to her iconic whale image.

When discussing the influence of language on artistic creation, Lu Yiying shared her insights on the structural differences between Eastern and Western languages. She believes that these differences profoundly affect people's ways of thinking and artistic expression. For example, Western languages such as English have a rigorous structure, which tends to favor linear thinking; whereas Eastern languages like Chinese place more emphasis on context, which helps cultivate narrative ability.

Lu Yiying views NFTs as tokens that carry energy and symbolic meaning, conveying profound significance in the digital world. She emphasizes that although artificial intelligence is changing the way art is created, the role of human artists remains irreplaceable because art is fundamentally a way of telling human stories.

Regarding the upcoming new work, Lu Yiying stated that she was inspired by her recent trip to New York. She realized the mental health challenges people face after the pandemic, and thus hopes to create works that bring joy and emotional connection. She believes in the healing power of art and hopes to bring a sense of relaxation to the audience through color and shape.

Lu Yiying's new work will be released on June 25th. She hopes this series can reflect the dual significance of June as both National Ocean Month and Pride Month. One of the pieces is titled "Make Waves" and may be presented in animated form.

When it comes to the role of artists in promoting mental health dialogue, Lu Yiying believes it is both the responsibility and honor of artists. She shared her experience in the New York subway, which strengthened her determination to convey positive messages through art.

Lu Yiying emphasized that art should convey meaningful messages. She believes that although crypto art is composed of bits and codes, it can impact the real world and people's lives. Her work aims to elevate emotions, transforming seemingly unpleasant things into inspiring elements.

Finally, Lu Yiying expressed her hope to continue creating art that guides people into different emotional states. Her works, whether it is the early "Failed Whale" or the upcoming new series, revolve around the theme of "Elevating Dreamers," symbolizing emotions, dreams, and immigrant experiences.