Ever-Pending: Xuemei Lu

June 19 – Sept 10, 2026

Reception: Friday, July 31, 6-8 pm

The pain of health anxiety is complex and deceptive. It can feel physically real, yet it may also be an illusion created by the mind. Doubt triggers checking of the body. The checking brings brief relief, yet that relief fades quickly, giving rise to another wave of doubt. This endless cycle becomes a chronic pain that slowly drains energy and hope, producing mental anguish that manifests as convincing physical sensations. Constant bodily self-checking, both a coping mechanism and a prison, powerfully represents the suffering endured by those with health anxiety.

Ever-pending visualizes the inner struggles of health anxiety, including repetitive checking, panic attacks triggered by every encounter with illness, constant worry, and vulnerability, raising awareness of the “real pain” of mental suffering. Xuemei Lu presents a calm documentation of a troubled everyday life to visualize the fatigue of carrying such a mental burden each day.

Lu works with ceramics as a tactile and performative medium to explore how people perceive, process, and respond to their surroundings. Drawn to clay for its weight, texture, and deceptive fragility, Lu creates objects that invite bodily engagement rather than distant observation. Through touch and sound, her work asks audiences to attend to subtle sensations often overlooked in everyday life while engaging with the narrative embedded in each piece.