Lu Wei — Ink Shadows
Material Gallery Welcomes Taiwanese Artist Lu Wei Back to Utah for Her Second U.S. Solo Exhibition Ink Shadows
erial Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition Ink Shadows, a presentation of new ink paintings including Asian folding screens by the renowned Taiwanese artist Lu Wei. This event is scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City from April 11 to May 23, 2025. Ink Shadows is made possible in part by the generous support of the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan and the Taiwan National Culture and Arts Foundation.
Following the success of Lu Wei's first solo exhibition at Material in 2023, titled My Sole Desires, in Ink Shadows, Lu Wei focuses on interpreting 'shadows' through the unique medium and spirituality of ink painting. Her perspective is not limited to a single culture. Instead, she interprets 'shadows' from a multicultural standpoint across time, intending to heal and empower female characters historically depicted as 'dark' or 'negative.' The exhibition Ink Shadows develops and explores the lesser-known and creative feminine aspects revealed by 'shadows' through Lu Wei's ink art.
Lu Wei's artworks, which include ink paintings, installations, videos, and artist's books in the form of handscrolls, are unique in their reference to symbols of women across cultures. She draws from religious, literary, mythological, and mother archetypes to reflect on her woman experience and her transition to motherhood.
In her artist's statement for Ink Shadows, Lu Wei explains, "From the perspective of a Christian worldview, "shadows" generally symbolize a dark side, concealing both the unknown and the feared. As discussed in Jungian psychology, "the shadow aspect" refers to the part of the inner self that cannot be understood in its entirety, where the personal and the collective mix and their distinctions blur. However, the system of a male-dominated culture and the history of colonization have divided both the female self and the female deity by attaching terrifying attributes to the powerful female goddesses and replacing them with male deities. This resulted in pushing the goddesses underground, severed from their original wholeness, including light and darkness. In Asia, many accounts of shadows are celebrated and considered in aesthetic discourses. For example, Junichiro Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows" describes the singularity of shadows in Japanese aesthetics. In the gradual and inexpressible tones of light and darkness, the shadows where no light has shone are precisely where beauty resides."
Material co-founder Colour Maisch expresses, "We are eagerly anticipating Lu Wei's return to Utah for her second solo exhibition at Material Gallery, and in the U.S. Her first exhibition with us was a resounding success, and we can't wait to unveil this new body of work to our community. Honoring classical imagery while researching female iconography across cultures, Wei's works respond to personal experiences of the feminine body and motherhood while challenging traditional constructs of these symbols. This unique blend of traditional techniques, art history references, and contemporary themes set Lu Wei apart in contemporary art."
Material will host an opening reception for Lu Wei on Friday, April 11, from 6:00-9 p.m., with an artist talk from 5:30-6:00 p.m. The exhibition will also be available for public viewing on Saturday, April 26, from 6:00-8 p.m., during the closing reception on Friday, May 23, from 6:00-8 p.m., and by appointment. Lu Wei will be present at the opening reception and give an artist talk, providing a unique opportunity for visitors to engage with her and gain a deeper understanding of her work.
In addition to Ink Shadows, Material is proud to partner with Ogden Contemporary Arts (OCA) to present a solo exhibition of Lu Wei's work titled Entering Into the Serpent, on view in Ogden, Utah from May 2 through July 13. Lu Wei continues her exploration into the darker creative powers of women and mother figures. A Press Release for Lu Wei: Entering Into the Serpent coming soon.
About the Artists
Lu Wei (b.1994) is a visual artist and curator based in Taipei, Taiwan. She received her bachelor's degree and a master’s in fine arts at Taipei National University of the Arts. Lu Wei's artworks include ink paintings, installations, artist's books, handscrolls, and screens. Her works reference symbols of women across cultures, drawing from religious, literary, and mythological figures as well as mother archetypes to reflect on her experiences as a woman and her transition to motherhood. In addition to cultivating the tradition of ink painting techniques, she also incorporates ideas of gender issues and feminine thought in her work, seeking to reinterpret and expand the understanding of gendered bodies and their images in the history of ink painting.
In 2023, Lu Wei was artist-in-residence at Grey Projects in Singapore, a collaborative multi-year program with Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, sponsored by the Asia Pacific Exchange Program and Taipei Artist Village. Lu Wei was awarded several important grants, including the grants from Taiwanese National Culture and Arts Foundation, and the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture grants. In 2023, Lu Wei was awarded a grant from Taiwanese Ministry of Culture grant, which included a three-month artist residency at 18th Street Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA. In 2024, she was awarded a grant from Taiwanese National Culture and Arts Foundation for a 5-month curatorial project in Utah. During her stay in the United States, Lu Wei exhibited her solo show My Sole Desires at Material in Salt Lake City, UT, and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) acquired two of her artworks for their permanent collection. The Taiwanese American Foundation also acquired several of Lu Wei’s paintings as part of their permanent collection.
Lu Wei has participated in numerous group exhibitions in galleries and museums, including Ames Yavuz (Singapore, 2025), ER Gallery (Taipei, Taiwan, 2024), Absolute Space for the Arts (Tainan, Taiwan, 2023), OUR Museum (New Taipei City, Taiwan 2022), Silpakorn University (Bangkok, Thailand, 2022), Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (Prague, Czech Republic, 2022), SOKA Art (Tainan, Taiwan, 2021), Mezzo Art (Tainan, Taiwan, 2021), Taipei Artist Village (Taipei, Taiwan, 2020), and AKI Gallery (Taipei, Taiwan, 2020). She is also a recognized and celebrated curator with several national and international exhibitions, including shows at Taitung Art Museum (Taitung, Taiwan, 2023) for which was nominated for the 22nd Taishin Art Award, MOCA Taipei (Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei) for which she received the “curator's incubator program @museums” grant from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, and at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C- Lab) for 2023’s Taiwan Annual.
About Material
Built on the collective vision of artists Jorge Rojas and Colour Maisch, Material is a multifaceted art space housing a commercial gallery, artist studios, classes and community events. Material exhibits local, national, and international artists through community-centered events and collaborations.
