Auguste Lu (Augustė Lubickaitė) is a Lithuanian contemporary painter, born in Klaipėda and based in Yokohama, Japan, since 2023. A 2020 fine-arts graduate of the Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts in Klaipėda, she works in acrylic ink and pastel to make elemental abstractions concerned with human duality and the meeting of Lithuanian and Japanese sensibilities. Her touring solo exhibition DUALITY: Our Divided Selves has been shown in Tokyo and Nagoya, including at the Frederick Harris Gallery, Tokyo American Club (2026), and she exhibits regularly with Gallery CHARLOTTE.USAGI in Yokohama. In 2025 she represented Lithuania at Pre-Expo Kyoto.
BACKGROUND
Auguste's path to painting ran through sound before canvas. Trained first in classical music, she went on to study digital visual effects — and both still shape her work, which pairs technical precision with loose, improvised gesture.
NOMAD INFLUENCE
After graduating from a traditional art school in Lithuania, Auguste ventured to the United Kingdom, where she began her career as a visual effects artist in the video games industry, delving into the technical aspects of art.
However, her desire for authentic expression led her to Japan, where she now lives and explores new perspectives in her latest painting collections. This international journey has deeply influenced her work, adding layers of technicality and emotional depth as she embraces her diverse experiences and background.
INSPIRATION
Influenced by her Baltic heritage and Scandinavian sensibility, Auguste works with unconventional materials such as acrylic ink and pastel. Her minimalist palettes paired with intricate shapes are a direct representation of the inner contrasts she encourages the viewer to embrace.
Each piece reflects her nomadic journey of self-discovery and invites viewers into a visual dialogue between light and shadow, presence and possibility.
Solo Exhibitions
2026
- Among Stillness and Breath – Gallery CHARLOTTE.USAGI, Yokohama, Japan
- DUALITY: Our Divided Selves – Frederick Harris Gallery, Tokyo American Club, Tokyo, Japan
2025
- Zen Garden – Gallery CHARLOTTE.USAGI, Yokohama, Japan
- DUALITY: Our Divided Selves – G Keyakizaka, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
- DUALITY: Our Divided Selves – Gallery Eureka, Nagoya, Japan
2024
- Elegant Catharsis – Studio Šviesos ir Kūrybos Namai, Klaipėda, Lithuania
Group Exhibitions & Events
2026
- Abstract Beyond Borders: WORLDTIMES Gallery, Hyogo, Japan
2025
- Marginal Art Fair Fukushima Hirono: Unresolved Landscapes – Fukushima, Japan
- Art Festival – Gallery GK, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
- Pre-Expo Kyoto – International Community House, Kyoto, Japan (Representing Lithuania)
2024
- Ishikawa-cho Fall Festival – Public Painting, Gallery CHARLOTTE.USAGI, Yokohama, Japan
2020
- End-of-Year Graduation Exhibition – Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts, Klaipėda, Lithuania
Corporate Art Placements
2026
- Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. Head Office – Tokyo, Japan (Sept 2026–Mar 2027), curated by The Chain Museum
- Osaka Hankyu Twin Towers – Osaka, Japan, curated by The Chain Museum
Education
2014–2020 — Diploma in Fine Arts, Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts, Klaipėda, Lithuania
2020–2023 — BSc Computer Games Technology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
curators note:
Auguste's work shows the world that art is a result of an accumulation of rich experiences, making it a never-ending story influenced by each viewer that looks at her paintings.
