Louis Vuitton Unveils Lu Yang’s Cybernetic ‘DOKU The Illusion’ in Venice

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Summary

     

  • Lu Yang debuts the latest DOKU chapter at Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia during the 2026 Venice Biennale

    • This art installation blends artificial intelligence-generated imagery, ideas from Buddhist philosophy, and the aesthetics of video games, using mediums like film, sculpture, and interactive spaces.

Artist Lu Yang is showcasing a new installment of their DOKU project at Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia as part of the 61st Venice Biennale. Called DOKU The Illusion, the exhibit builds on Lu Yang’s series of digital avatars, all based on the artist’s own likeness and centered around the character DOKU.

The art installation reimagines the Venice space as a futuristic, peaceful haven. It includes sculptures, reflective surfaces, and a large LED screen displaying a new film that combines real footage with images created by artificial intelligence, all filmed in Japan’s Izu Peninsula. The artwork also features Buddha statues holding symbols of life’s journey, reflecting the artist’s continued exploration of Buddhist ideas about life and rebirth.

Lu Yang’s art is inspired by anime, manga, and video games, but it’s not simply a tribute to those things. Instead, these influences become a way of visually expressing complex ideas. In the “DOKU” series, Lu Yang uses digital worlds and incredibly realistic figures to explore questions about who we are, what consciousness is, and what it means to live more and more of our lives online.

This exhibition is part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s program of bringing art to its locations around the world. Timed to coincide with the Venice Biennale, DOKU The Illusion showcases Lu Yang’s continued interest in how technology, spirituality, and the idea of living on digitally connect through captivating installations and films.

Espace Louis Vuitton
Calle del Ridotto, 1351
30124 Venezia
VE, Italy

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2026-05-08 00:26