Newman Huo

    “I AM one of the tadpoles!” This is how self-taught artist Luo Yu summed up his creative idea about his new large-scale works which combine sculpture and installation. In new works made from stainless steel, Luo has inserted thousands of tadpole shapes.

    The new works are being displayed in a one-man art exhibition, “I Am One of the Tadpoles: The Artistic Legend of Luo Xu,” at the OCT Art and Design Gallery in Overseas Chinese Town (OCT), Nanshan District, until March 1.

    “Luo’s creative methods could further develop, but no one can deny that Luo’s artistic independence, his hermit-in-a-city lifestyle, and his compelling creative powers have all demonstrated that he is an individual with a special insight on today’s society,” said the exhibition curator Ye Yongqing.

    “This is perhaps Luo’s portrait of China’s drive for modernization and urbanization today, so the tadpole is not a fairy tale but a metaphor for countless Chinese people who are participating in the continuing social transformation and progress,” Ye said.

    Luo is unique in the contemporary art scene in China. His works must be seen as an extension of his extraordinary life.

    Born in 1956 in Mile in Yunnan Province, Luo is largely self-taught and entered the art world only after working on construction, in a porcelain factory, as a choreographer, a rabbit breeder, a restaurateur, and as an architect in his early years.

    His first efforts were recognized by the master-sculptor Qian Shaowu, who encouraged him to undergo further training at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1988. The single year of instruction left Luo with an admiration for large sculptures.

    But, just as quickly, Luo realized that to develop his own vision he would have to leave the big cities of Beijing or Shanghai. His strong individuality and willingness to take risks led to his determination to stay clear of the then mainstream art trends.

    Returning to Yunnan Province in 1989, Luo set up a studio and began creating sculptures that explored single themes and commonplace shapes.

    The first form which captivated Luo’s imagination was the female leg. In his hands, the familiar leg became a stylized autonomous creature. The leg sculptures are whole and complete units despite the absence of the rest of the female body. Each leg has the same stylized bulbous thigh that tapers down to a tiny bound foot but, by installing the sculptures in different settings or positions and by casting them in different materials, the legs are individualized.

    In 2005, the artist abandoned the leg in favor of another familiar form, leaves. As in the “Leg” series, Luo has been able to imbue an inanimate object with a range of human attributes. The personified leaves are by turns protective and insular, hostile and dominant, and tender and loving.

    Since 1996, he has been building his own art center on a block of rented land just outside Kunming, capital of Yunnan. The structure, known as the Earth Nest, comprises breast-like mounds, some rising high above the ground, in which he has his studio, galleries and his home.

    And, even in this place that seems isolated, Luo’s outpost has been attracting visitors from home and abroad who are keen to see the unique home of this unique artist.

    In addition to his new works, there are more of his other works, including paintings, sculptures, installations, architectural designs, videos and documents, at the OCT Art & Design Gallery.

    Dates: Until March 1

    Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Closed Monday

    Add: OCT Art and Design Gallery, Overseas Chinese Town (深圳华侨城华·美术馆)

    Buses: 21, 26, 32, 54, 59, 101, 105, 109, 121, 204, 209, 223, 234, 327, 328, 350, 370, 390

    Metro: Hua Qiao Cheng Station (Overseas Chinese Town Station 华侨城站), Exit C