After The End: When Architecture Becomes Art
LTY_X STUDIO Exhibition
What happens after architecture reaches its “end”? Can it begin again—not just physically, but poetically?
Words by Liuxuan Lyu
Currently on view at 4C Gallery, After the End reimagines the role of architecture in a rapidly changing world. Presented by the four core designers of LYT-X Studio—Dingdong Tang, Haisheng Xu, Zehui Li, and Yangqi Yang—the exhibition shifts away from traditional technical narratives of “sustainable architecture,” and instead asks a more profound question: What happens after architecture reaches its “end”? Can it begin again—not just physically, but poetically?
Redefine where architecture ends and where art begins
The first half of the exhibition immerses viewers in a series of atmospheric spatial installations—organic, breathing surfaces; shifting light and shadow; and fluid spatial rhythms. These are not buildings in the traditional sense, but sculptural forms that feel alive—spaces that respond to emotional needs, cultural memory, and social transformation.
Instead of presenting sustainability through numbers or certifications, the works embrace it through aesthetics: as skin-like materials that wrap space, as soft light that responds to the climate, and as gestures of care within the urban fabric. The result is a subtle merging of structure and feeling, where architecture begins to act like art.
The second half pushes this exploration further into experimental territory. Here, AI becomes a creative collaborator rather than a technical tool. Discarded materials—e-waste, old appliances, metallic fabric—are reborn as expressive architectural façades. These generative designs transform building surfaces into living tapestries, shimmering with texture, rhythm, and memory.
This is more than upcycling—it’s a bold statement about material culture, waste, and renewal. LYT-X turns the architectural skin into a storytelling device, one that speaks of time, decay, and the potential for rebirth.
Key projects like Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum and Frame Work & Fabric illustrate this vision. Whether through a sculptural rooftop that reconnects city and sea, or textile-based interiors that blur the line between body and space, these works redefine where architecture ends and where art begins.
Ultimately, After the End is less about conclusions than it is about new beginnings. It’s a meditation on how we build, how we feel, and how — through creativity and imagination — spaces can live on, long after their original purpose has faded.
About Artists
LYT-X Studio (Zehui Li, Yangqi Yang, Dingdong Tang, and Haisheng Xu) is dedicated to exploring the potential of architecture and urban development, with an emphasis on the diversity of design languages. Grounded in research and practical projects, the studio experiments with innovative architectural and urban concepts, aiming to redefine the interaction between humans and nature, culture, history, and future environments, fostering new forms of living. Fueled by shared passion and curiosity, LYT-X operates as a collaborative research group, bringing together a team of idealists driven to explore, innovate, and transform our visionary ideas into reality.