The GRID (2017)
#Site Specific Installation#soldering #urbanoberservation #Khrushchevka #ModernChina #socialhousing #hopscotch
In 2017, I returned to the residential compound of my childhood just before its demolition. I have always been intrigued by the site's geometry—a 1980s Soviet-influenced style defined by a rigid grid system.
Under the Danwei (work unit) system, housing was considered a welfare benefit rather than a commodity. This standardization extended even to the ground, paved with uniform 1-by-1 meter tiles.
However, the strict grid wasn't just a constraint. I have vivid memories of playing hopscotch on these tiles with friends—appropriating the ready-made grid for our own joy. We turned a system of order into a playground. In summer 2017, I created this installation to mark that intersection of structure and play, right before it disappeared.
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Mycelium Running (2018)
#papermaking #artandscience #bacteriagrowing #artistsbook #craft # Venice Architecture Biennale 2018 #ecological exploration #connections
In 2018, I joined the Illinois Mycological Association by accident, where I became fascinated by mycelium—an organism defined not by the individual, but by the network. I was struck by the idea that fungi do not die from aging, but from a loss of connection.
While mycelium forms an invisible, underground web that channels nutrients to sustain the entire forest, our human society was becoming increasingly fixated on visible borders and rigid definitions of citizenship.
Created during a time of intense political struggle over immigration, this work asks: As an 'alien' in American society facing these barriers:
what can I learn from the borderless, life-sustaining connectivity of mycelium?
How can I cultivate connection in service of others?
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Travelogue I (2019)
#3D Printing, #DigitalModeling #ArcGIS #papermaking #screenprinting #artistbook#rhinos #connections
I have long been fascinated by the concept of the artist’s book, having created them for years without a single written word. Integrating my travelogues now feels like initiating a biological process. In this project, I revisit five distinct landscapes with my travel stories: the vertical energy of New York City, the raw ether of Reykjavik, the layered history of Brussels, the aquatic mirrors of Venice, and the spiritual heights of Gannan.
Memory is a form of slow fermentation; it does not stay preserved in a vacuum. It breathes, ages, and evolves, taking on a life of its own long after the journey ends. Through screenprinting, 3D modeling, and papermaking, I give these memories a physical home. Regardless of the medium, as long as the imagination remains vital, the core of the work remains unshakable.
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Travelogue II (2019)
#photography #Collection #Mail Arts #Collage
I have reframed the project as a 'distributed travelogue.' Instead of returning from a journey with souvenirs, I collect the overlooked debris of the city—dryer lint, faded receipts, street grit—and mail them to friends who have migrated away.
I encase these mundane relics in slide mounts, turning them into portable anchors for the displaced. Through this act, the travelogue evolves from a singular, private document into a shared, living network. I am asserting that my city’s map is not a static grid, but an elastic membrane—it stretches across the globe, surviving wherever we perform our quiet rituals of memory.
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Making the invisible visible, and the fragile permanent (2019)
#papermaking #molding&casting #materialsensibility #materialexperiment #MaterialInnovation #CompositeStudy #ConcreteCasting #Prototyping
An experiment in contrasting materialities.
I juxtaposed the warmth and texture of handmade paper with the cold permanence of cast concrete. By embedding the formed paper into the aggregate, I created a hybrid object that is simultaneously structural and delicate. It challenges the binary of "construction material" vs. "art material," seeking a synthesis where the structure protects the fragility within.
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Neri&Hu: Works in Permanent Evolution (2021)
#Curation #SpatialNarrative #ProjectManagement #ArchitecturalResearch #AdaptiveReuse#AcademicPartnership
A 15-year retrospective exhibition for the leading interdisciplinary practice Neri&Hu.
As the co-curator, I structured the firm’s vast body of work into six conceptual categories (e.g., Reflective Nostalgia, Inhabitable Strata), translating abstract architectural inquiries into a tangible spatial narrative. The exhibition served as a critical interface between professional practice and academic discourse, attracting over 2,000 visitors and fostering public engagement with the built environment.
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Chinese Overseas Finance and Investment
What Have We Learned? (2022)
# International Conference #insitutional work #GlobalSouth #Human Rights #Facilitation # Sustainability #Social Justice#SystemDesign #Geopolitics #Strategy
A three-day international conference convened by the Ford Foundation. Amidst rising US-China tensions, I co-designed and facilitated this strategic intervention to examine the impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on the Global South. The program moved beyond binary political rhetoric, creating a safe platform for stakeholders to discuss sustainability, equity, and the agency of indigenous communities. This project represents my shift to designing systems of collaboration, demonstrating that creating the conditions for dialogue is a critical act of design.
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Book of Caring: To be heard is to be loved (2025)
#SocialPractice #Facilitation #ZineMaking #CoCreation #CollectiveWisdom#ParticipatoryArt #ToolForDialogue
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junecilu@outlook.com
Ins: juicyisnotjuicy
Linkedin: Junxi LU
Hi, there!
I am Junxi (June-Shee).
My roots are in art, but my practice has evolved into a bit of a hybrid. I’ve worked as an artist, a programmer, a grantmaker, a designer and a curator. It’s this blend of experiences that defines who I am.
Most of my work is inspired by my ongoing engagement with the world—from conversations with friends and strangers, ambient music, and books, to broader political struggles, empowerment, and self-organization.
Currently based in Beijing, I work as a cultural practitioner and grantmaker, continuing to design dialogues within the Chinese civic sector.
Off-duty, I am a dedicated practitioner of Iyengar yoga, an avid zine-maker, and an observer of the unintentional design of everyday city life—often accompanied by my one-year-old and hyper-active cat Si Hei.
at postpost Beijing, Winter 2025
Curatorial Project, Neri&Hu: Works in Permanent Evolution,
College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai
2019
Group Show, The Plant Show, Groundlevel Platform, Chicago
Group Show, Shelter for Soul, Seoul Hall Of Urbanism & Architecture, Seoul
Group Show, Visual Arts Exhibition, Luminarts Culture Foundation, Chicago
2018
Group Show, Living Architecture, 6018 North, Chicago
Group Show, Designer Artist Citizen Site: Exploring Belonging, Università Ca’Foscari, Venice
*Partner program of the United State Pavillon in 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale
Group Show, Undergraduate Exhibition, Sullivan Gallery, Chicago
2017
Curatorial Project and Research Project, Flipping the Garden, Joan Flasch Artists Book Collections, Chicago
2016
Group Show, Sabina Ott--Who Cares for the Sky, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
Research & Analysis: Research (Contemporary Design & Architecture, Gender Studies), Writing & Editing, Data Synthesis, Visual Analysis.
Project & Program Management: Cross-functional Collaboration, Grant Management & Compliance, Stakeholder Engagement, Event Coordination.
Communication: Bilingual Communication, Cross-Cultural & Interpersonal Communication, Narrative Development.
Fabrication: Architectural Model Making, Woodworking, Papermaking, Screenprinting, Etching, Soldering (Basic), 3D Printing, Laser Cutting.
Software: Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe InDesign (Basic), Adobe Photoshop (Basic), Adobe Bridge (Basic), SketchUp (Basic), Google Workspace (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive).
AI related: Gemini (certificated via coursea)
Languages: Chinese (Native), English (Fluent - Oral & Written
Michelle Hyun, New York University Shanghai
Kamau Patton, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Iker Gil, MAS Context
Ann Lui, Future Firm
Matt Ferchen, Ford Foundation
Carol Yinghua Lu, Inside Out Art Museum
Sarah Herda, Graham Foundation
"rapid progress always comes from slow work."
Last Updated 24.10.31
Yearning for Geese on the Fragrant Islet
（ “芳洲思雁” ）
Artist: Wang Zhigang (王志刚).
Creation Date: Completed in October 1987
This public sculpture stood right in the middle of a busy intersection. It was there I witnessed how a public sculpture seemed almost designed to disturb the flow of traffic. Amidst the blaring horns and my parents' fury at the traffic, those cast iron geese were the only still, peaceful things. I even wished the traffic jams would last longer, just to be able to gaze at them.
I love that sense of distance. That state of semi-opacity, where I have to feel my way through the words, transforms the language from a mere utility into a mist-shrouded, living soundscape. It serves as a reminder that the most arresting literature often thrives in the untamed gaps of what we don’t immediately understand.
“Heart Shaped” Red Traffic Light
Hostile Architecture
Defensive Design
Light
Art Without Work & Work Without Art
https://brand-new-life.org/b-n-l/art-without-work-and-work-without-art/
This resonates deeply with my own belief that meaning resides in the mundane. By positioning care and recovery not as breaks from work, but as the work itself, she dismantles the economic exploitation inherent in the art world. In a system obsessed with constant output, Sagri reminds us that the "no work"—the maintenance and recovery of the self—might actually be the most radical production of all.
“PUBLIC Space” in Beijing
The architect likely designed these deep metal frames for visual depth, a high-end look, or perhaps shading—purely for that 'Monumental aesthetic.' But for the passersby, that depth is the perfect fit: the height is right, there's back support, there's shelter overhead, and clearly, it faces the sun.
It’s ironic. Sometimes, commercial design meant to attract customers ends up being more humane than public squares designed to 'showcase the city.' A private business ends up shouldering the function of a civic space.
When massive public spaces don't welcome people—like how you can't just sit anywhere in Tiananmen Square, or parks are too far or require tickets, or streets are too wide with no shade—people just seep like water into every available crack in the city.
It reminds me of the news about the elderly resting in IKEA, who were criticized for lacking public morality. In reality, the scarcity—or 'unfriendliness'—of public space in Beijing (and many Chinese cities) is deeply tied to the logic of politics and social governance.
Beijing’s scale is 'Monumental,' not 'Human Scale.' Monumentalism constantly tells you: 'You are small; the collective/state is grand.' Yet, I still see people stubbornly finding this kind of dwelling in the cracks.
Deepa Iyer's Social Change Ecosystem Map
Deepa Iyer’s book is truly a guide for reflection. It hit me that without defining core values first, any action I take is just blind.
What I love most is the fluidity. I don’t have to subscribe to one role forever. Trying to carry it all by myself only leads to burnout. The ecosystem is about interdependence—trusting that others are doing their part, so I can focus on mine. It’s not about doing everything; it’s about values-driven action.
DO by Sol Lewitt ( 1965 )
letter to artist Eva Hesse
Lately, I’ve been haunting Sol LeWitt’s 1965 letter to Eva Hesse. The image of that big, bold "DO" keeps flashing in my mind.
It sounds so simple—"just do"—but making work without overthinking the work is one of the hardest disciplines to master. To really "DO" requires a surrender. It requires a willingness to be "stupid," to be "bad," to lower the gates and let the standards drop just so something, anything, can get out.
LeWitt’s advice hits me hard every time I read it: "You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, epty. Then you will be able to DO... try to do some BAD work."
That is the crux of it. The hardest part. We are so desperate to make "good" work that we paralyze ourselves. I'm realizing that the ambition to make good work is exactly what stops me from making any work at all. Note to self: Practice being empty.
Poem “On Love” by Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet
Photo: Artwork Caption In the House of My Father
1996–7, Donald Rodney
When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.” And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.