Lauren YS

Lauren YS

Lauren YS is appearing at...

The LA-based artist Lauren YS is a muralist and painter who has been using their art to bring visibility to Asian American issues. And during the pandemic, that effort took on a heightened sense of urgency. That’s where LA’s Chinatown mural came from and where other works popped up across the United States. Even in New York City Chinatown’s Yu & Me bookstore, I recognized postcards of Lauren’s artwork which I brought home to LA. 

Lauren’s work is immediately recognizable in style, neon colors, and alien and queer-looking characters inspired by Chinese mythology. After a decade of working as an artist full-time, Lauren looks back at where their journey has taken them. So much of their artivism is a reflection of their mixed Chinese ancestry, their queer identity, and politics. As they look towards the future, we talk about their anticipation of new mediums they want to explore and their caution around the growing proliferation of artificial intelligence in the art world.