Corey Lyu

Contemporary Art Practice (MA)

Lilith, Don’t worry it’s not my name 2024 Corey Lyu (video editor, performer, AI generator), Didi Hu (Camera) film, 3min In Peking Opera, it is common for men to play female roles, and the audience even likes it more. This kind of applause for gender transformation only exists on stage. In daily life, people are very disgusted with feminine men and regard such people as abnormal. Even in the teaching of Peking Opera, teachers will ask such actors to distinguish between the female image on stage and the male identity in real life. The Chinese government does not support the queer community and minimizes the training of actors of different genders from the stage in terms of policy. This phenomenon reflects the understanding of gender in Chinese society. So in this work, I combined my own experience to reflect my mental journey as a queer man in this social environment regarding my gender identity.

Gua - Fengshui of Sound No.1 2023 Corey Lyu (percussion, visual), Bianco Li (vocal, multi-instrument), Zhuyang Liu (Guzheng) impromptu music performance, 40min In this performance, we used Taoist divination to create the music score. Each hexagram represents a natural phenomenon, when two single hexagrams layer together they become a sentence of enlightenment. We plan the performance into three sections apart from the intro, and each section has two sets of double hexagrams in it, each section also represents time, colour and direction of the sound. We combine the natural phenomenon from a single hexagram and the enlightenments of double Gua in each section to create imagery and portrait by sound.

Travelling between gigs 2024 installation, Metal, found objects, thermoplastic polymer, Variable dimensions In this work, I want to use sound to represent the relationship between journey and events metaphorically. The sound of events is loud but will disappear, while the journey is like a small noise that always exists in life. This work was inspired by my experience of travelling between gigs. I use percussions that I have used in my performances as “events”, and play the noise recorded in my suitcase (I use it for transport my instrument) while I was travelling to my gig by a Bluetooth speaker in the same suitcase.

Texture Painting In this series of paintings, I explore the use of simple colours to reflect the randomness of texture and microscopic spatial changes in the city.

About

Corey Lyu is a London-based fledgling artist. Corey’s work ranges from painting, installation art, performing art, AI art and video art. Corey’s recent work explores gender topics, Chinese folk culture and social milieux. Corey’s work usually In terms of aesthetics, Corey’s works often incorporate Chinese culture, queer culture and avant-garde aesthetics.

Corey becomes Lil Soap (stage name) outside the studio as a multifaceted drag performer.

As a percussionist, Lil Soap is a member of Lao San Yang, Lao San Yang is an experimental collective established in 2022. This collaborative format explores the expressive possibilities of experimental art, world music, free improvisation, cross-media narrative, electronic music, installation, and ethnic musical instruments in a contemporary context.

As an amateur performer of Peking Opera, Lil Soap specialises in female roles (dan) and has performed at some of the most prestigious events in the United Kingdom.

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