Yikai Luc Wu is a cinematographer and photographer from Liuzhou, China. Ironically, his Chinese name translates to “Eternal Happiness,” while much of his work is drawn to characters navigating loss, longing, and the quiet complexities of being human.

He studied Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts and has since worked across narrative films, dance films, experimental projects, and theatre productions. Moving between Liuzhou, Shanghai, and Los Angeles has shaped his interest in how personal histories and cultural environments influence the ways people see, remember, and understand the world around them.

His work is driven by a fascination with the relationship between movement and emotion. As a cinematographer, he is interested in the tension between irrational human feelings and the physical logic that governs bodies in space. Through both moving and still images, he seeks to create an intimacy that allows audiences to witness the presence of individuals within everyday life.

Particularly drawn to the idea of “synchronicity”, he is fascinated by the way meaning emerges from seemingly coincidental moments. He is constantly searching for these meaningful coincidences — the instant when a gesture, a movement, a camera, and a subject align in a way that feels both instinctive and profound.

Alongside his work in cinema, photography remains an essential part of his artistic practice. Through portraiture and street photography, he continues to explore questions of identity, memory, and human connection.

Away from film sets, he is known among friends and collaborators as a dedicated coffee enthusiast and former café co-owner, always in pursuit of the next great cup of coffee.