Cole Lu (b. 1984, Taipei, Taiwan) is an artist and writer based in New York.
By fusing historical and literary references with lived experiences, Lu's work tells stories of dissonance and longing through winding odysseys. His sculptures and paintings are made of burnt wood panels, linen, engraved metal, and concrete, with elaborate scenes of mythological retelling. Through pyrography (writing with fire) and extensive titles, Lu yields to the poetic origins of storytelling that liberate his work from established hierarchies of form. The meditative and laborious act of his burning spans greatly in scale, from intimate to immersive, and allows Lu to build worlds where mythology and autobiography come together and are thus reborn.
Lu's work has been exhibited at Bangkok Art Biennale, Bangkok; Each Modern, Taipei; Herald St; London; Chapter NY; New York; Nir Altman, Munich; The Drawing Center, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; the Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis; La Casa Encendida, Madrid; and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis, among others. His publication Smells Like Content (2015) by Endless Editions is in the artists' book collection of the Museum of Modern Art Library. His latest book, First Pylon by Inpatient Press, launched in October 2023.