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Dongbay (Yübo Xü) is an artist whose practice originates from non-authorized actions in urban space and evolves into sculptural and spatial systems. His work examines how contemporary civilization re-encodes nature, the body, and belief through architecture, infrastructure, and institutional order, and how human agency is repositioned within these systems.

His methodology is based on repeated spatial tests conducted under predefined constraints. These tests involve temporary interventions in regulated environments, operating within fixed rules such as limited time, non-destructive actions, and the use of existing urban materials. Rather than producing permanent objects, his practice focuses on decision-making under irreversible conditions, where withdrawal, failure, and disappearance are integral parts of the process.

Early experiences with graffiti and vandalism functioned as a foundational training ground, shaping his understanding of spatial boundaries, risk assessment, and non-negotiable conditions. These actions are not aestheticized in later works; instead, their operational logic is extracted and translated into sculptural, performative, and installation-based systems that can be observed, archived, and recontextualized.

His ongoing research unfolds through modular series, including spontaneous sculptures, temporary threshold objects, and installation environments. Each series follows a consistent rule set while allowing variables such as location, visibility, and institutional context to shift. Exhibitions operate as aggregation points, where repeated tests are assembled to reveal patterns, deviations, and structural tensions rather than singular narratives.

Positioned within a framework he defines as Primitive Futurism, Dongbay’s work does not propose a return to the primitive, nor a celebration of technological progress. Instead, it investigates how primitive logics of ritual, totem, boundary, and sacrifice, persist and mutate within contemporary urban and institutional systems. His practice prioritizes long-term execution, methodological clarity, and responsibility toward both space and process, emphasizing sustained engagement over symbolic resolution.


Curriculum Vitae



Educations

2020  MFA, Pratt Institute, New York, USA

2017  BS, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China


Media & Publications

2025  Edge Effects (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Essay Publication, USA

2024  CarharttWIP, Online Interview, China

2023  Umay Art Project, Artist Talk, 798 Cube, Beijing, China

2022  4 Crimes To Individuation, Book Published, China

2021  Good Night Press, Online Interview, China


Exhibitions

2025

Pomnik Miru, Cerje, Nova Gorica–Gorizia, Slovenia — Art Circle & Urban Jungle, Group Exhibition

1215 Gallery, Montréal, Canada — From Breath To The Dirt, Group Exhibition

Villa Vipolže, Brda, Slovenia — Art Circle, Group Exhibition

OneArt Gallery, Beijing, China — Dwelling In The Ideal Land, Group Exhibition

2024

NIKE Jaya Center, Shanghai, China — Group Exhibition

ALL Space, Shanghai, China — On The List, Group Exhibition

K66 Art Space, Shanghai, China — Resample, Group Exhibition

2023

Parkview Green Art Center, Beijing, China — Traceable, Group Exhibition

798 CUBE, Beijing, China — De wereld Wat Met Handvat getembi lk?, Group Exhibition

Baimiao Center, Beijing, China — The Trip Of A Skin, Group Exhibition




©Dongbay 2025