Artist
Artist · Lu Renjie
A Heart for the Dao
The turning of the sun and moon is Dao. The passing of spring into winter is Dao. Eating, drinking and the needs of the body are Dao… Dao is the order within all things.To have the courage to defy heaven—“As long as my heart lives, what can heaven do to me?”And the awareness to follow it—“All is destiny, never wholly in our hands.”This is my heart for the Dao.I now enter the world with the trilogy of Heaven, Earth and Humanity.…Some things simply need someone to do them.
Lu Renjie · Timeline
2012 — Painted the twelve-metre Chinese Dragon at the Jackie Chan Film Gallery in Shanghai.
2013 — With Jackie Chan’s recognition and introductions, created bespoke Twelve Hairpins works for 43 prominent figures worldwide.
2015 — Painted Blessings for the World and began exploring cultural tourism projects in Yangzhou.
2017 — Designed the rose window for Liulin Cathedral in Shanxi, now a popular local landmark.
2019 — Completed 809 handmade Shan Hai Jing sculptures.
2020 — Completed the eight-metre Shanhai Scroll.
2021 — Presented the first exhibition of the Shan Hai Jing series at Shanghai Tower, the city’s highest point.
2022 — Completed the compilation of the six systems.
2023 — Held a major solo exhibition of the Shan Hai Jing series at Guangfulin, the historic roots of Shanghai.
2024 — Presented Shan Hai Jing series events at Jinzhong Plaza on Huaihai Road, Shanghai.
2025 — As artistic director, completed the overall art-related design for the 860-mu Fangdingyi site in Zhengzhou.
2026 — Completed Shanhai Universe, a 582-page book offering a comprehensive interpretation of the Shan Hai Jing.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Getting to know Lu Renjie
- Who is Lu Renjie?
- Lu Renjie (陸人捷) is an independent Chinese artist, born in Shanghai on 9 September 1982. He works mainly in oil painting, ceramics and sculpture, as well as installation and design, between cultural tradition, personal experience and contemporary life.
- How did his career begin?
- He began in advertising and magazine illustration and taught for five years at Shanghai Electronic Information Vocational and Technical College before working independently. In 2012 he painted the 12.8-metre Chinese Dragon at the Jackie Chan Film Gallery in Shanghai; in 2013, through Jackie Chan’s introductions, he made bespoke Twelve Golden Hairpins works for 43 prominent figures worldwide.
- What are his best-known works?
- From the Shan Hai Jing series: Shanhai World, a panoramic sand-table installation that rebuilds the classic in ceramic sculpture, and the Shanhai Scroll, 8 m long and 2.2 m high, which shows a visible and a hidden world under different light. Chinese Dragon (also known as Feiyi China), a 12.8 × 2.5 m oil painting whose dragon follows the Yangtze over 1,800 grid cells of China’s national intangible cultural heritage. And the ceramic Twelve Golden Hairpins, after Dream of the Red Chamber.
- Why the Shan Hai Jing?
- He first read the Shan Hai Jing in middle school, and its images kept returning in his dreams; later he went back to his teenage manuscripts and began the series in earnest. He traces his practice to three books — the I Ching, the Huangdi Neijing and the Shan Hai Jing — and develops it through six systems: form, painting, writing, ancient script, totems and a digital world. He completed 809 handmade Shan Hai Jing sculptures in 2019, the eight-metre Shanhai Scroll in 2020, and Shanhai Universe, a 582-page interpretation of the classic, in 2026.
- Who collects his work?
- Collectors include Jackie Chan, Li Ka-shing and James Cameron. The Twelve Golden Hairpins are held by 43 figures, among them Jackie Chan, James Cameron, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jack Ma and Andy Lau.
- Where has he exhibited recently?
- May 2025: Fractured Horizons, an international group exhibition at PI Art Center’s New York and New Jersey campuses, part of the official NYCxDesign programme. 2024: Shanhai Jinzhong at Jinzhong Plaza on Huaihai Road, Shanghai. 2023: Shanhai · Hidden Treasures, a major solo exhibition at Guangfulin, Shanghai. 2021: Chasing Light at Shanghai Tower, the first public showing of the Shan Hai Jing series.
- How can I get in touch?
- For works, exhibitions, curating and collaborations, write to contact@lurenjie.art.
INQUIRIES
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