I use absurdity to make room for the parts of life that refuse to behave.

Biography

Liangpu Yu is a Chinese artist based in New York, working across painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Through flattened figures, altered everyday objects, and deadpan humor, his practice examines social pressure, withdrawal, consumer desire, and the absurd consequences of what people create. He received his BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in 2025.

Artist statement

My practice moves between painting, charcoal drawing, sculpture, and mixed media. I use awkward figures, altered bodies, classroom doodles, and familiar consumer objects to turn ordinary scenes into absurd ones. Humor lets me approach isolation, vulnerability, and the conflict between social expectation and individual freedom without resolving them.

In Lying Flat, rest becomes a deliberate refusal of overwork and consumer pressure—not passive apathy. Masterpiece That Changed Absolutely Nothing questions usefulness and accomplishment through boredom and doodling. In The Things We Made Will Kill Us, food and packaging become vulnerable bodies, turning comfort into threat.