Biography

Teddy Lo

Teddy Lo was born and raised in Hong Kong with his father’s family background in technological manufacturing and mother was an artist with family background from the deep mountains of Taiwan, making a living as farmers and hunters.  While growing up, Lo was captivated by his perceived difference of basic human needs in technology spending his time divided in big metropolitan cities and rural areas.  Having been introduced to the works of Claude Monet at a young age, he began to develop a fondness for fine arts.  Later, he had the opportunity to pursue his studies in US, where he developed an interest on conceptual and artistic depth of its advertising industry and contemporary arts.  Eventually enrolled in Art Center College of Design in California to complete a BFA degree in art direction.  It was during a fine art class and a visit to a lighting factory that inspired the artist to explore LEDs as an artistic medium.  After graduation, Lo moved to NYC to work in advertising and continued his artistic journey.  He had his first art exhibition at the Arturo Dimodica Gallery, NYC and since then, began working on lighting design projects.

In 2007, Lo moved back to Hong Kong and founded a LED experience design company LEDARTIST. He then earned his Master’s degree on Lighting at Queensland University of Technology which led to a career in light art and design.  He has since participated in various international art exhibitions and large-scale lighting projects. Lo held exhibitions in prestigious locations around the world, including Luminale in Frankfurt, Asia Society in Hong Kong, Museum of Art and Design in NYC, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Arts, Art Centre BUDA Kortrijk in Belgium, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Esplanade in Singapore, 798 Art District in Beijing and Burning Man Festival in Nevada, among others.  In addition with commission work for the tallest building in China - The Shanghai Tower and created the digital media infrastructure designs for the new World Trade Center in NYC.

Artist statement

My creative vision evolves around neo-transcendental art, the integration of spiritual ideas in the physical-scientific world.  My work is inspired by current technologies and technological reality.  It manifests in artistic expressions through light. 

Artificial light is being developed and implemented in society at a rapid pace driven by economic rather than human-sustainable measures.  We are only at the tip of the iceberg in our current discoveries of the potentials in artificial light to become part of our biological ecosystem.  My art departs from research on light and the electro-magnetic spectrum.  It evolves from computational graphics, engineering and programming to research in sculptural design, spectrum manipulation and interactivity.  During the past decade I have examined how to display colliding data or various states of different particles simulations in 2d or 3d LED artworks, as data visualisation and real time interactive light art.  I have illuminated space with different colour spectrums through refraction and reflection to provide unique experiences on physical, emotional, spiritual and mental levels, and combined ancient old chrome-therapy with new LED technology. 

Having worked with light as a material of art for well over a decade, and belonging to the third generation of a family involved with the invention, production and business of light (from the incandescent light bulb to LEDs), I am concerned with the artistic engagement as well as industrial and societal implementation of light as sustainable and neo-transcendental material.  My research and artistic practice depart from a combination of advancements of modern technologies and ancient philosophies on presence and human well-being.

I believe technology should be a tool for human beings to assist and excel our natural capabilities and evolution towards more sustainable modes of co-existence with the world.  By means of technology, today we as a species are able to do much more, bigger, faster, and reach farther, and with more impact than ever before.  We develop technology that extend our capabilities and progression, but not with our environmental co-existence in mind.  The contemporary world’s industries are jeopardizing our planet’s resources and decreasing our mental well-being, making us dependent on technology.   The more evolved we become, we need to realize our responsibility as a planetary specie in this world and aim to create a sustainable living environment with love for nature and all living things.  We have to unite mind, body and spirit and explore the extent of our collective, universal consciousness.  I see an urgency in catching up with spiritual depths to what it means to be human along with technological innovations; in regaining our abilities to connect with nature’s subtle voices through technology.