Wei Vivian Lu

Wei Vivian Lu (born Taipei, Taiwan) received her BFA in 3D animation and MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her practice is primarily focused on illustration, printmaking, and bookmaking. She is the recipient of Artist as Witness grant by Forecast Public Art, and has received multiple merit-based awards for her graduate thesis comic work "Fireheart". Her work revolves around the examination of learned and inherit cultural identities. Using illustration and comics as the main practice, Wei Vivian investigates the reconstruction of one's culture when they are removed from their place of origin. Incorporating historical events into her fictional story, she aims to find the pattern of finding identity through one's nationality throughout time. Wei Vivian often source the Chinese language to create illustration that echoes the structure of Chinese pictogram to further explore the imbalance roots between her family migration history and new identity in the western world.

Wei Vivian works as an art instructor for East Asian style comics, Manhua, illustration and bookmaking. Specialized in bilingual education, Wei Vivian encourages youth to incorporate East Asian art medium, motifs, and language into art projects, and teach the terminology in both English and Chinese. Her teaching philosophy sets a goal in creating a cultural refuge for children to learn East Asian art materials, techniques, and style,  allowing comic, illustration and storytelling become an outlet of their personal voice.