Background
Yiwei Lu is a Los Angeles-based curator, gallerist, art fair founder, collector, filmmaker, and writer. She is passionate about amplifying the voices of women and marginalized artists on a global stage and strongly believes in the transformative power of cultural exchange.
Born and raised in China, Yiwei Lu moved to Los Angeles at 18. She holds a B.A. in Film Production with a minor in Studio Art from Loyola Marymount University and later earned a Master’s degree in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California, focusing on art collectors' culture.
Gallery
In 2019, Lu founded a house gallery in Los Angeles, launching an artist-in-residence program that invited international artists to live and exhibit their work. She quickly gained recognition in the art fair circuit and, in 2021, established Yiwei Gallery on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice Beach, a neighborhood with a rich artistic history. As a curator, she is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Asian diaspora and female artists.
Over time, Yiwei Gallery expanded into an international platform, opening a second location in China—a 5,000-square-foot space—and participating in major art fairs worldwide.
C Art Festival
Committed to fostering cultural exchange through art and making contemporary art more accessible, Lu develops artist-in-residence programs in China, the U.S., and Italy. She is dedicated to expanding exhibition formats beyond traditional white-cube spaces, creating alternative art fair experiences.
In 2024, she co-founded C Art Festival with Dora Yuan in Wuhan, China, transforming a 20,000-square-foot public garage into an experimental art space. Each parking spot became a booth, showcasing works by over 0 artists and curators, along with live performances. The inaugural edition attracted more than 7,000 attendees and generated millions of views on social media, solidifying its impact on the contemporary art scene.
Press
Yiwei Lu has been featured extensively in both Chinese and American media, including ABC News, Good Morning America, People’s Daily, Phoenix TV North America, South China Morning Post, LATV, and more.
In 2022, she was selected for the "Top 30 Under 30 Chinese Americans" list, one of the most influential recognitions for young entrepreneurs in the U.S. In 2023, she was named a Forbes Global Alliance International Youth Leader, and in 2024, she was recognized as an Asia-Pacific Youth Leader by the Asia-Pacific Youth Entrepreneur Council.
Lu has also played an active role in the global art community as a jury member for the International Photography Awards (IPA) in 2023, The Other Art Fair Los Angeles in 2024, and as a committee member for the Venice Family Clinic Art Walk + Auction. She has been invited to speak at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, multiple institutions in China, Palazzo Gromo Losa in Biella, Italy, and the Asia Society in New York City, sharing her insights on contemporary art, cultural exchange, and the evolving art market.