Artist Lu Yiying: An Explorer of Cross-Cultural Creation and Digital Art

Lu Yiying is an artist with a diverse cultural background, and her creative journey is like a carefully crafted bubble tea, perfectly blending different cultural elements. Born in Shanghai, educated in Sydney and London, and eventually finding her creative foundation in San Francisco, Lu Yiying's works embody the ability to communicate across languages and cultures.

Lu Yiying's artistic career is closely linked to the rise of Silicon Valley. She became famous for her illustration "The Failed Whale," which became an iconic image during a service outage of a social platform in 2008. This work, titled "Lifting a Dreamer," depicts a white whale being lifted by eight orange birds with ropes, symbolizing the emotional weight of distance and the longing for closeness with loved ones. Early users resonated strongly with this whale, garnering Lu Yiying widespread support and ultimately prompting her to settle in San Francisco.

In 2016, Lu Yiying discovered the absence of a dumpling emoji while discussing dinner plans with friends, and she began advocating for the addition of this emoji. In 2017, she further designed five food emojis, including the beloved dumpling 🥟, bubble tea 🧋, chopsticks 🥢, takeout box 🥡, and fortune cookie 🥠. The following year, she also designed a peacock emoji 🦚.

With the rise of NFTs in 2021, Lu Yiying also got involved, releasing limited edition and 1/1 NFT works on multiple platforms. She stated that the proceeds from the "Whale of a Time" series have been donated to marine conservation organizations.

After three years of accumulation, Lu Yiying is preparing to launch an anticipated new NFT work. This upcoming series is part of an event called "Get Based" associated with a certain trading platform and a certain blockchain project, which will delve into human experiences and emotions, and may also pay tribute to her iconic whale image.

When discussing the impact of language on artistic creation, Lu Yiying shared her thoughts on the structural differences between Eastern and Western languages. She mentioned that languages such as English, which belong to the Latin family, have a more rigorous and linear structure, while Eastern languages like Chinese rely more on context. This linguistic difference affects people's ways of thinking and expressing themselves.

Lu Yiying believes that NFTs are like tokens that carry energy and symbolic meaning, conveying profound significance in the digital world. Although artificial intelligence is entering the realm of artistic creation, the value of human artists remains irreplaceable. Artists inherit the bloodlines and stories of their ancestors, and this inheritance is akin to carrying generational traits within NFTs.

Speaking about the upcoming "Get Based" series, Lu Yiying expressed that it is a sincere exploration of human experience and emotions. She hopes that this series will bring joy and emotional connections to the audience. Lu Yiying believes that colors and shapes have healing powers, and she hopes her works can bring a sense of ease and pleasure to people.

Lu Yiying emphasized the important role of artists in guiding conversations about mental health. She believes that as an artist, there is a responsibility to create works that can truly help others. She plans to incorporate her experiences in New York and her reflections on the social situation into new works, hoping to evoke people's attention to the importance of community and comfort.

In terms of artistic creation concepts, Lu Yiying insists that art should convey meaningful messages. She believes that although crypto art is just some bits and codes, it can influence the real world and our lives. She hopes that her works can elevate emotions and transform seemingly unpleasant things into uplifting and inspiring experiences.

Lu Yiying's new work will be released on June 25, and she hopes this piece will reflect the dual significance of June as both National Oceans Month and Pride Month. One of the works is titled "Make Waves" and may be presented in animated form.

Through continuous exploration and innovation, Lu Yiying's artistic creation continues the dialogue she started many years ago. She is dedicated to creating works that can guide the audience into different emotional states, conveying the power of dreams, emotions, and wisdom.