The Digital Alchemy of Lu Yang at Videocittà 2025: A Synthesis of Art, Science, and Spirituality

Technology is very related to spirituality as an immersive experience and the interdisciplinary artist Lu Yang, bridging the cultural hubs of Tokyo and Shanghai, has captivated audiences worldwide with his innovative creations that challenge our perceptions of life, identity, and consciousness. Lu Yang's unique artistic vision resonates profoundly within the context of Videocittà, an international festival dedicated to the exploration of digital culture and audiovisual innovation, which returned for its eighth edition in Rome from July 3rd to July 6th, 2025.

Join our exclusive conversation with Lu Yang about the collaboration with Videocittà as a powerful fusion of vision and innovation, inviting audiences to join the intersections of technology, spirituality, and creativity.

Your childhood experiences with asthma and medical treatments must have been very challenging. In what ways have these personal health challenges shaped your themes of the human body and its representation in your art?

Yes, these experiences have had a profound impact on me. Having a chronically ill body from an early age, I never really identified with the idea of a “healthy” or “normal” body. I spent a lot of time in hospitals—especially emergency rooms. These were not just places for treatment but condensed stages of the cycle of life and death. I witnessed sudden deaths, failed resuscitations, decaying bodies, and even abandoned patients. These moments made me aware, from a very young age, of how limited our control over the body is. The body is merely a temporary vessel for consciousness. This understanding shapes my work, where I often deconstruct the body or challenge the assumed connection between the body and the self.

Growing up in a Buddhist family, you've expressed an early interest in religion and belief systems. How do these spiritual traditions inform your artistic narrative, particularly in relation to themes of existentialism and the human experience within your works?

Buddhism is not just a religious belief system, but a profound philosophical framework. It doesn't encourage faith in a deity but rather points directly to the illusory nature of the “self” and the interdependent flow of phenomena. I rely on Buddhist philosophy because it offers a way to think beyond life and death—not merely to find meaning within human experience. The virtual figures, endless rebirth cycles, consciousness transformations, and the interwoven suffering and joy in my work all stem from Buddhist concepts like non-self, emptiness, and the unity of life and death.

Your work is markedly influenced by Japanese pop culture, especially anime and gaming. Can you explore how these influences shape your aesthetic choices and thematic explorations? How do you see their integration as a commentary on contemporary youth culture in China?

Anime and gaming are indeed the aesthetic “shell” of my work, but they are not its philosophical “core.” In this age of excessive visual stimulation, traditional methods of conveying concepts like impermanence or emptiness are often ignored. So I use the language of pop culture as an entry point—to first attract attention and then guide the audience deeper into the inner core of the work, which reflects on void, existence, digital reincarnation, and the boundaries of consciousness. It’s like coating a pill in sugar—a strategic response to the media logic of our time.

With a strong fascination for biology and neuroscience, how do you conceptualize the relationship between scientific inquiry and artistic expression within your projects? Could you provide examples of how these themes have played out in your multimedia installations?

I see science and Buddhist philosophy as different paths toward the same question—what is real? In my work, I’ve often used EEG, neuroimaging, facial tracking, or data simulations of consciousness to create “digital selves.” For example, I’ve created pieces where my own brainwaves controlled the emotional states of a virtual avatar, or where facial recognition software animated expressions that challenge the idea of a stable identity. These methods are both scientific experiments and philosophical inquiries.

Your work contributes significantly to discussions around the fluidity of gender representation. What specific aspects of gender theory do you engage with in your art, and how do you hope to influence the perceptions of gender identity through your creations?

I don’t think gender is important—because it's not something we choose. Gender is a label imposed by biology and society. In my work, all characters are genderless—or perhaps post-gender. I want to help audiences see that what they think of as their “identity,” including gender, can be deconstructed, redefined, or even entirely ignored. True freedom is not about choosing between male and female—it's about stepping out of this binary altogether.

At the inaugural Videocittà festival, your work, particularly the DOKU series, immerses visitors in a video-game-like experience. What were your goals in creating this environment, and how do you see it reflecting the themes of modernity and the human condition? Given that Videocittà is focused on vision and digital culture, how do you view your work as a bridge between Eastern and Western cultural narratives? What dialogues do you hope to initiate with your installations in this context?

The DOKU series is essentially the story of a digital practitioner—one who seeks liberation in a virtual world. I use a video game format because it’s intuitive and deeply embedded in modern experience. Within this framework, I implant Buddhist philosophy, Madhyamaka logic, and notions of non-self. My goal is to create not just an immersive space but a contemplative one. Eastern and Western narratives are not opposites—they are reflections of each other. I aim to show that virtual technologies can serve as spiritual tools, not just entertainment platforms.

Looking towards the future, are there any new themes or mediums you are eager to explore in your upcoming projects, particularly in light of your experiences with festivals like Videocittà?

Yes, I’m now diving deeper into mapping the figure of the “future practitioner.” I want to explore how spiritual practice might evolve in an era of AI, augmented reality, and biotech. Can enlightenment be encoded? Can compassion be simulated? I’m not just making artworks—I’m testing possible paths toward nirvana in the digital age. That’s where my journey is heading.

Interview by @mirawanderlust

Image courtesy @luyangasia @videocitta

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