Virginia Lui— Social designer & artist
Virginia Lui is an Australian artist, designer and researcher whose career and academic background spans social design, editorial and architecture.
With a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and Master of Arts in Social Design, her work pivots between design — mostly for social innovation — public art and theory. Her practice probes into urban environments through various performative, texts and audio/visual means, exploring opportunities for ruptures and activation.
Working in Creative & Storytelling at SPACE10, she heads up art direction and is deeply interested in connecting people with impactful stories through visual mediums and interactive experiences.
She is a member of Mai Ling, an association as well as an artist collective, contextualising and fostering contemporary Asian art and culture with a focus on FLINT*.
Exhibitions
Virginia’s works have been performed and presented internationally in Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, including MAK Design Lab (AT); KUNST HAUS WIEN (AT); Z33 House of Contemporary Art (BE); Stadt Fabrik Neue Arbeit. Neues Design Vienna Biennale MAK Wien (AT); Aesthetics of Change 150 years of the University of Applied Arts, MAK Wien (AT); Traders: Dutch Design week (NL).
Publications
Her projects have been featured in publications internationally and online. Featured press incude EIKON Magazine, Public Art China Magazine, Social Design Reader and Art & Design Education in Times of Change.
Biography
Virginia Lui was born on 18 May 1992 to Chinese migrant parents and grew up in the Greater Western Suburbs of Sydney.
After graduating from Architecture (2013), she moved to Vienna to study Social Design (2015), which led her to develop her multidisciplinary approach to design and art. Her recent topics of investigation include migration laws, labour and artistic strategies in urban renewal processes. Her work attempts to materialise theoretical discourse and artistic research into visual and experiential art forms.
RESUMÉ

2015-2017 University of Applied Arts Vienna: Master of Arts in Social Design
2012 University of Technology Berlin: Six months Exchange Semester
2011-2013 University of Sydney: Bachelor of Design in Architecture
Employment History
Current Creative & Storytelling at SPACE10
2018-2020 Austrian Students Union of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna: Head of the Department of Anti-Racist Interventions
2017-2020 Multimedia Designer and Editor of viennacontemporary Magazine
2016-2017 Austrian Students Union of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna: Head of the Department of Alternative Infrastructures
2015 Sou Fujimoto Architects: Architectural Designer
2014-2015 Neeson Murcutt Architects: Architectural Designer
Skill Set
Art Direction
Concept Development
Architectural Drafting
Model Making
Illustration
Laser Cutting
Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Indesign, Photoshop)
Vectorworks
ARCHICAD
Sketchup
Rhinoceros
Copy Writing
Content Creation
Styling
Art Direction
Concept Development
Architectural Drafting
Model Making
Illustration
Laser Cutting
Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Indesign, Photoshop)
Vectorworks
ARCHICAD
Sketchup
Rhinoceros
Copy Writing
Content Creation
Styling
Languages
English - native
Cantonese - native
German - C1
Mandarin - proficient
English - native
Cantonese - native
German - C1
Mandarin - proficient
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Mai Ling, Vienna Secession
2017 SECURIWAS? Exhibition and Performance, KUNST HAUS WIEN, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna
2016 Deterrent Designs Against the Homeless, Praterstern, Vienna
Group Exhibitions/Performances
2022, Mai Ling Soup Bath, Kulturhaus Brotfabrik
2022, WE ALL EAT DIRT, Pickle Bar by Slavs and Tatars, Wiener Festwochen, Vienna
2021 Mai Ling Kocht, Volkskunde Museum, Vienna
2021 Mai Ling Kocht Edition: Fish, Fruitfest, Vienna
2021 Mai Ling Kocht 2, CIVA festival, Vienna
2020 Mai Ling Kocht 2, kültür gemma, Vienna
2020 Mai Ling Kocht, Raw Matters, Vienna
2019 Wo ist das Kind? Kunst in der Stadt, Galerie Freihausgasse, Villach
2019 Deterrent Designs, MAK Design Lab, MAK Museum, Vienna
2018 Ästhetik des Körpers, Art Gallery Vienna, Vienna
2018 Office for Bureaucritic Imagintion - State of Exception: The Politics of Design: Act 1, Z33 House of Contemporary Art, Hasselt
2018 Aesthetics of Change 150 years of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna
2018 Spartacus Stakeholders Event, University of Hasselt, Hasselt
2018 Everyone Loves Ice Cream Festival, The School, Hasselt
2018 KIWI book, Salon für Kunstbuch, Vienna
2018 Hassling Hasselaar: Pop-up Cinema Festival, Z33 House of Contemporary Art, Hasselt
2017 No Access: Fokus Angewandte, University of Applied Arts, Vienna
2017 No Hope, No Fear, Kunsthaus Wien Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna
2017 Stadt Fabrik Neue Arbeit. Neues Design: Vienna Biennale, MAK Museum, Vienna
2017 Cultural Politics and Right-Wing Populism, Heiligenkreuzerhof, Vienna
2017 Taktlos: SYN13, Vienna
2016 D’Art InSEA Regional Conference, University of Applied Arts, Vienna
2016 TRADERS: Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven
2013 Analogue: Graduate Exhibition, University of Sydney
2012 Transform: University of Sydney
2011 INDEX: Architecture Exhibition Sydney
2010 HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work Exhibition: Pymble Ladies’ College, Sydney
Residencies/Fellowships
2020 kültüř gemma!
2020 Motelspatie
2019 BIO26
2018 The School Artist/Designer in Residence Hasselt, Belgium
Research Activities
2020 Critical Spatial Practices in China Symposium
2018 Participatory Design Conference, Hasselt, Belgium
2017 Public Art Research, Academy of Fine Arts Shanghai, China
2016 IVLA 48th Annual International Visual Literacy Association Conference, Concordia University Montreal, Canada
2016 D’ Art InSEA Regional Conference Vienna, Austria
Publications/Press
2018 Participatory Design Conference - Situated Action paper
2018 Public Art China Magazine - Socially-engaged Public Art - Reconditioning Routines
2018 The School created a Playground
2017 Phaidra - SECURIWAS?
2017 The Ground Tour #0, Social Design Reader
2017 EIKON Magazine for Photography and Media Art
2017 KIWI Pictionary
2016 ERA21 POD Kontrolou, Deterrent Designs Against the Homeless
2017 De Gruyter, Art & Design Education in Times of Change, War on Cash
2016 TRADERS http://www.traderstalk.org/contribution/designs-against-the-homeless/
2016 SYN Magazin für Theater-, Film-und Medienwissenschaft, Taktlos Deterrent Designs Against the Homeless