Lu Pingyuan King of the Underground Peonies Print

In Lu Pingyuan’s recent works he treats artificial intelligence as a quasi-deity in a new ‘belief system’. Lu feeds ChatGPT original stories and traditional myths, prompting the generation of new mythological figures. These are then materialised through traditional paper-cutting techniques historically associated with ritual and summoning.  
 
By positioning himself as an intermediary – translating between human belief systems and machine-generated knowledge – Lu stages a dialogue between ancient creeds and emergent, technologically inspired ideologies, asking how faith and meaning might be produced in an age shaped by algorithms.  

In King of the Underground Peonies, this system coalesces into a sovereign, hybrid figure. Part guardian, part apparition, the form is constructed from proliferating peony motifs that extend beyond the body into a branching, unstable field. Its mask-like face and confrontational symmetry evoke vernacular deity imagery, yet its exaggerated colours and layered patterning suggest a figure assembled rather than inherited. Less a natural bloom than a composite entity, the “king” emerges as a synthetic authority – not summoned through belief but rather through repetition and algorithmic excess.

King of the Underground Peonies, 2024  

from the series Best of the Best Draw 2024–