Drawing inspiration from life

In 2011, he created a series of sculptures named To Hax, To Keo and To Taneoki. They look like silent musical instruments, waiting to be played.

And they reflect the words of John Keats, who wrote in 1819: "Heard melodies are sweet; those which are unheard, sweeter."

Hang Jian, vice-dean of the China Academy of Art, who is also the chief curator of the Museum of China Academy of Art, says: "Evolution is the hidden term I have discerned in Lo's work. When it comes to thinking or art, there is never groundbreaking originality in the process of human creation. It is the fascinating thread of history that initiates a creative beginning for every artist and is inevitable, whether it is for a form, structure, technique or spatial conception.

"I once wanted to use Taoism or Zen to describe his work, but I stopped myself immediately. I would also like our audience to refrain from interpreting his work using Chinese or Chinese culture. Accomplished artists genuinely respect their culture, while always being the masters of their own work."

Lo says his design mantra is "to design with love, to think from the heart".

He adds that his inspiration sometimes comes from his love of furniture.

"I regret scratches or when they lose shape. So, I came up with many solutions," he says.

"Designers can't just look at a problem from their own points of view. They have to try to think and understand as a user. Design bedding like a housewife. Design desks like a calligrapher. Design potting like a gardener.

"I think persistence is just one of the conditions that constitute eternity, and eternity should be the integration of the past, the present and the future. There is no formula that can tell exactly how to reach or present eternity. All we can do is to get infinitely close to it with our own perception."

Describing lasting beauty, Lo says: "If you look back at your works designed 20 years ago, and they still look appropriate and practical today, and you think that they will not be out of date even after decades, then these designs are nearly there."

Lu Tao, curator of the exhibition, says: "Lo's unique temperament lies in his familiarity with ordinary life and the material process, and how he detects and unites subtle relationships between passion and the tangible, and then transforms them into a'component filled with eternal meaning'.

"Lo's works have always been filled with pure intelligence, and have an ethereal and poetic sensibility in their making and dimension. They never cease to inspire and prompt us for a dialogue with him," Lu continues.

"Essentially, his thinking has been infused by the refinement of his own character, with the consciousness and apprehension of the environment he is in, as well as his measure of discreetness in his work, which becomes a silent but powerful critique of the hustle and bustle of the current design scene."

Lo says: "Often, the architectural works themselves, not the architects, are even more fascinating. That is, dealing with the problems brought about by nature and our existence - with our feet on the ground - ingeniously and simply.

"Perhaps this is why my work is always firmly rooted in life."

Contact the writer at xuhaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn