David Lê
YP
Your first time in China—how has it been?
DL
Chengdu’s scale is overwhelming. I grew up in New York, so density is familiar, but Chengdu operates on a completely different magnitude.
What struck me most is how visibly recent everything is. The scale of transformation is almost unimaginable.
I often think of Grace Coddington’s advice: always look out of the window, you never know what you will see. I try to do that here.
What struck me most is how visibly recent everything is. The scale of transformation is almost unimaginable.
I often think of Grace Coddington’s advice: always look out of the window, you never know what you will see. I try to do that here.
YP
Do these creative ideas stay with you during production?
DL
Yes, it is instinctive. Preparation is necessary, but equally important is staying open to what appears on site.
YP
What does YEARLY PLAN HOUSE offer you as a framework?
DL
The architecture is refined and precise, especially in its light. It creates a very specific atmosphere.
That precision is exactly why I wanted to introduce more tactile, unconventional materials to push it slightly further.
That precision is exactly why I wanted to introduce more tactile, unconventional materials to push it slightly further.
YP
You worked with local materials and found objects.Anything that stayed with you?
DL
Less the “romantic” materials, more the city’s fabric itself. Even post-1990s objects—plastic, early devices feel interesting precisely because they are not yet nostalgic.
YP
The exhibition title comes from Kafka. How should we read "empty"?
DL
In Kafka’s letter, the room is not truly empty, it is unoccupied. It is about absence, timing, and missed encounters.
For me, it is also about presence through traces. A room becomes a narrative system where viewers enter a partial story and complete it through imagination.
For me, it is also about presence through traces. A room becomes a narrative system where viewers enter a partial story and complete it through imagination.
