LAB ART PRIZE - MILAN 2026
Yuqing Wu United States Installation

Artwork title : Consumption

Oil on cardboard, recycled clothing, found trash, 5 x 12 feet 

This installation addresses the cycle of overconsumption and its environmental consequences. Painted faces on discarded cardboard merge with layers of recycled clothing and found trash, cascading downward to resemble a waterfall. The flowing form suggests both movement and accumulation, what we consume does not disappear, but continues to build and overwhelm. The faces embedded within the materials evoke human presence, implicating us within this system of excess.
 
By transforming waste into an immersive form, the work confronts the scale of consumption and its impact on the environment. The waterfall becomes a visual metaphor for the relentless flow of goods, waste, and desire. Ultimately, the piece suggests a reversal of control: rather than consuming endlessly, we risk being consumed by the very systems and materials we produce.