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Bowl :  From the Loss of the Body to the Loss of Dignity

Liu Sichuan

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The first impression of LU Hang（路航）’s Bowl series is a stark, chilling sense of despair. In the confined spaces of the paintings, nude human figures are curled up or sprawled, either approaching or distancing themselves from an empty bowl. Here, the empty bowl becomes the central image, standing out in isolation with a profound presence. The naked bodies, all turned away from the viewer without revealing any clear faces, exhibit a primal, animalistic, or even ghostly state.

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This haunting series of works resembles a sequence of silent dramas. The distorted, faceless bodies, despite lacking language, create an intense emotional resonance through their postures and their spatial relationship with the empty bowl, evoking a deep sense of despair and sorrow in the viewer. The absence of facial features symbolizes the erasure of individual identity, and the lack of eyes raises a fundamental question: Do we truly possess “eyes” to see?

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For the artist, imagery introduces uncertainty about identity, placing it within the infinite flow of time. The scenes created by these figures can traverse the past, present, and future, or be presented repeatedly. With the development of LU’s perception and representation of these images, an anticipatory irrational symbol emerges—the Acéphale (a headless figure, representing a rejection of authority and centralized leadership). Within Spengler’s cyclical view of history, are we as rational as we imagine? Do we truly possess a “head”, or are we like paramecia, blind and drifting aimlessly in the river of time? This notion somewhat echoes Georges Bataille’s perspectives.​

/bowl-loss-of-body-dignity

 Bowl 11 | 2023 | Oil painting | 140 x 135cm | Detail

From a chronological viewpoint, the Bowl series spans almost the entirety of Laurent LU’s creative output in 2023. Its themes, symbols, and the expansive narrative they convey reflect a transformative shift in the artist’s focus and philosophical stage. It signals a departure from LU’s earlier narratives about history, the collective, and the individual, moving towards a more instinctual existential inquiry. Through this series, an intangible force seems to draw us away from the layers of a superficial world and into a barren inner landscape.

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Is this barren landscape that of the artist himself, or is it a reflection of our own inner void?

 Bowl 10 | 2023 | Oil painting | 180 x 115cm | Detail

The Bowl and the Human Body: Crafting Symbols and Delving into Deeper Meanings​

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The core symbol in Laurent LU’s Bowl series is the bowl itself—an ordinary, everyday object that on LU’s canvas is imbued with immense symbolic significance. In these paintings, the bowl seems like a cold, indifferent presence. It is neither a traditional “vessel for food” nor a symbol of “abundance”. Instead, it stands empty and desolate, exuding a powerfully distilled symbolic force.

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As the sole object in the composition, the bowl introduces a tension-filled space. The artist uses it to break the void, compelling the viewer to ponder its role within the entire scene. The naked bodies, devoid of any other points of reference in the space, seem to cling to the bowl as their only center, the sole object of purpose.​​​

The bowl, as a symbol, embodies a dual nature of emptiness and containment: on one hand, it is a container meant to hold material substance, representing the satisfaction of life’s physical needs; on the other, its emptiness hints at an insatiable spiritual yearning and quest. In each painting, the bowl is never entirely filled, and in terms of scale, it often appears large, while the human figures are relatively shrunken and distorted. This size contrast and the hollowness of the bowl seem to signify the unfillable void present in human existence.

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Contrasting with the bowl is the posture of the human figures, which emerges as another crucial symbol. All the characters are naked—without clothing or any extraneous embellishments. Their nudity is not a traditional expression of the beauty of the human body; rather, it reflects a raw, primal reality stripped of all social symbols. Some figures turn their backs to the bowl, seemingly in avoidance; others align parallel to it, as if searching in a state of confusion and uncertainty; yet others confront it head-on, displaying a stance of defiance. This meticulous depiction of posture fills the work with emotion and a sense of unease. The bare bodies themselves symbolize the vulnerability and primal state of human existence. Stripped of social identity and labels, the figures embody their most basic survival instincts through their bodily expressions.

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This is destined to be an unsettling gaze. The bowl, as the focal point of the bodily movements, exerts an unavoidable gravitational pull, influencing every subtle gesture of the figures. Each body’s posture seems to struggle within the bowl’s gravitational field, as if every movement responds to the unfillable void it embodies. The bowl concentrates the power of the entire scene, silently conveying the unsolvable and cyclical struggles of life.

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The construction of these two symbols—the bowl and the human body—and the gaze and conflict between them draw us into an eternal tug-of-war.

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The Bowl and Space: Tension Within the Void

The spatial handling in Laurent LU’s Bowl series is another dimension worth exploring. The relationship between the figures, the bowl, and the space is not a straightforward three-dimensional one; instead, LU’s strategic composition evokes an indescribable sense of oppression and loneliness. The bowl is placed in a vast, featureless space, while the human figures crawl within the frame, appearing disconnected from the surrounding world. The entire scene is permeated with an atmosphere of isolation and detachment.

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This vast emptiness symbolizes the isolation of individuals in modern society. Although both the figures and the bowl exist within the same canvas, they are separated by an invisible barrier. The distance and postures between the bodies and the bowl form a spatial relationship that measures not just physical space but the significance of existence itself. Here, the bowl as a symbol also becomes a “mirror”, reflecting the complex emotions and profound sense of lack humans experience in the face of their survival instincts and material needs.

Bowl 4-6 | 2023 | Acrylic on paper | 17 × 20 cm , 17 × 20 cm , 18 × 20 cm

Within this highly simplified space, the artist employs minimal elements to create a hollow visual environment, leaving the viewer ample room for imagination. As the audience watches these figures struggle, it is as if they are invited into this empty world to experience the same sense of existential loneliness and helplessness. The interplay of the stillness of the space and the powerlessness of the figures generates an overwhelming emotional tension. The figures bend and crawl, striving to approach the bowl, with all their efforts aimed at reaching this empty goal. This conflict is expressed silently throughout the works.

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The spatial arrangement in the Bowl series presents an open, theatrical visual effect akin to a stage. The background is usually devoid of decorative elements. While the colors are bright, this brightness paradoxically creates a sense of emptiness and lack. With no traces of the external world, the figures and the bowl appear isolated on a closed stage, becoming the focal points for observation. The viewer is led into this theatrical realm, where the stage-like setting heightens the tension between the individual and materiality. On this barren stage, the bowl becomes an authoritative symbol, an unavoidable focal point of all hopes and the source of all struggles.

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LU refrains from excessive narration in these pieces, opting instead for a minimalist approach that removes all extraneous visual information, leaving only the core elements. Through this, the constructed space transcends a cold, three-dimensional structure and becomes a sensory, emotionally layered field, rendering the work profound and heavy.

 

​​Exploration of Style: From Lüpertz and Bacon to Goya and Matisse

Bowl 13 | Oil painting | 160 x 110cm | Detail

In the Bowl series, Laurent LU’s stylistic shift appears profound and introspective. This evolution is marked not only by a minimalist approach in form but also by a significant conceptual transformation. While LU’s earlier works were heavily influenced by Markus Lüpertz and Francis Bacon, his artistic language gradually began to incorporate elements reminiscent of Goya and Matisse. This shift moved his expression from direct and visceral to a deeper, solitary existential exploration.

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In his early phase, LU’s creations bore the marks of Neo-Expressionism. Lüpertz’s manipulation of form and emotional tension provided LU with a new dimension for emotional articulation. Bacon’s impact is especially noticeable in the Bowl series, where the distorted human figures and the intense psychological atmosphere parallel Bacon’s portrayal of tormented existence. LU similarly employs the isolated relationship between the bowl and the figures to delve into the struggles of individual survival. His depiction of human forms is stripped down to their essence, employing symbolism to the extreme. Just as Bacon’s minimalist compositions convey inner tension, LU encapsulates a silent narrative within the symbolism of the bowl.

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Moreover, LU draws from Goya’s dark and grotesque vision. Goya, known for his bizarre figures and deep social criticism, resonates with the relational dynamics between the bowl and the human figures in the Bowl series. Although LU does not adopt Goya’s concrete scenes or complex narratives, he uses a stark visual language to distill the tension between society and the individual into the confrontation between the bowl and the human figures.

Matisse’s influence is most evident in LU’s treatment of the human body. While Matisse conveyed a sense of vitality and rhythmic movement through color and pose, LU’s portrayal of the human form is starkly different—it is filled with pain and submission, reflecting a sense of helplessness and disorientation in the material world.

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LU synthesizes the formal and philosophical elements from Goya and Matisse, pushing them further towards extremity in his own work. Where Goya’s grotesque imagery reflects the absurdity of society, LU distills these themes to their essence, portraying barren scenes and isolated figures to explore the relationship between humans and the material world. Each bowl becomes a silent focal point, with the figures positioned as counterpoints, drawing the viewer into a tension-laden relationship that evokes an inescapable sense of fate.

This stylistic transformation allows LU to continue his exploration of the human condition, expanding the depth and breadth of this theme. By merging social and existential dimensions, he presents a closed and desolate world. The shift in visual language reveals LU’s critical inclination and his deep insight into primal desires. Thus, the Bowl series marks his progression from straightforward expression towards a more contemplative artistic inquiry.

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However, when examining the entire Bowl series, one can sense that this extreme simplification and reduction of elements inevitably leads the work into an isolated and enclosed realm. The artist strips the figures of their social attributes and complexities, reducing human nature to a raw, instinctual response. This approach risks presenting a somewhat narrow existential dilemma, characterized by a stark, almost barren vision of existence.

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Perhaps as a counteraction to this reductive approach—where the complexity of human experience is overly minimized—LU’s recent works display a significant shift. He has turned to art history for inspiration, opting for series composed of multiple triptychs to enrich thematic expression. This method allows for a more layered and multidimensional portrayal of his ideas. As showcased in the Bowl series, viewers are confronted with a palpable sense of loss, from the physical to the existential. LU invites his audience to replace self-deception with direct confrontation, acceptance over evasion, and to find a life-affirming courage in facing the void.

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For LU, the act of creation serves as a reflection of his thoughts at different stages of life. Given this perspective, the question arises: in his minimalist, symbolic expression, will the deepening exploration of humanistic care and societal meaning, adding new dimensions to the portrayal of human nature, become the focus of his next artistic chapter?

Bowl 14 | Oil painting | 160 x110cm | Detail

©  LUHang（路航） is a contemporary artist based in Paris, working with painting and installation, exploring figure, memory, and narrative structures.

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