Leilei Wu is an artist and researcher whose work disrupts material, social, computational, and metaphysical realities. Drawing her main inspiration from synthetic materials and nature, Wu questions the new technologies employed in production, reproduction, and distribution. In her work, she emphasizes the relationship between technology, history, and art.
Born in Ningbo, a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, Leilei Wu developed her sculpting approach to 3D printing while studying at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute (JCI). As ceramic modeling proved difficult for her, she started looking for a different medium. For something, where she could express herself freely. When Leilei Wu moved to Milan to study Sculpture at the University of Brera in Italy, her passion for digital sculpting was nurtured even further.
Through provocation, collaboration, and ‘weird’ or science-fictional thinking, she creates 3D-printed objects and develops installations, experimental images, web art, and AI research. Her sculptures combine robotic and organic elements. With the use of algorithms, she creates organic shapes for her ‘creatures’ that blend a hyper-digital aesthetic with the real world.
By exploring the intersection of art and technology, Leilei Wu blurs the boundaries between creation and synthesis. Therefore, with her sculptures, she delves into a significant conversation between the imaginary and the technology-driven world. And further, through her work, she invites us to consider the implications of technology on our lives and to reflect on its potential use in the future.