White Cube publishes Firenze Lai’s debut exhibition catalogue
Survival Coordinates captures the Hong Kong artist's visceral oil paintings and works on paper, accompanied by an incisive conversation with theorist Isabelle Graw on technology, the body and contemporary instability.
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White Cube Books has released Survival Coordinates, a publication coinciding with Firenze Lai’s debut exhibition at White Cube Mason’s Yard. The catalogue documents her recent oil paintings and works on paper with meticulous attention, reproducing the dense, gestural abstractions that define her practice. Tones of burnt red, cadmium yellow and grey layer across the pages, capturing the restless energy of paintings that seem to shift between figuration and pure mark making.
At the heart of the book sits a comprehensive interview between Lai and art writer and theorist Isabelle Graw. Their conversation moves through how spatial and digital realities configure the body, the accelerating impact of technological advancement, and the instability of contemporary sociopolitical structures. It is a dialogue that locates Lai’s painting within urgent contemporary concerns, revealing the intellectual rigour beneath her sensual surfaces.
The publication has been edited and coordinated by Elaine ML Tam and Miranda Yates, with design by Guillaume Chuard. Lai’s exhibition, North and True North, remains on view at White Cube Mason’s Yard in London until 14 November 2026. The book is available to purchase online through White Cube.
Imagery courtesy of White Cube (@whitecube).
