Multimedia artist Lu Zhengyuan made a resin mold of his face for this piece, titled Even Out. It's just one of the many diverse entries in the rigorous "84 Days, 84 Works," series (KYLE MULLIN)

Lu Zhengyuan's latest exhibit, titled "84 Days, 84 Works," is less like an exhibit and more like artistic calisthenics.

The exhibit, which has been featured at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art since mid-October, has allowed Lu to treat his inspiration like a muscle which must be trained and toned. The multimedia artist has stuck to a strict daily deadline, crafting works of art out of materials that seem common and uninteresting on their own, but take on new meaning when he fuses them together.

Each of the series' offbeat creations was made in less than 24 hours in order to reach the daily quota; the pressure has pushed Lu toward the very edge of his psyche.

"I really expect a day when my mind goes blank," Lu said of his work. Of course, similar fears have plagued artists since the beginning of recorded history. "I wonder whether my inspiration can be drained or not. The problem I am thinking over every day is...where my inspiration comes from."

He seeks to answer not only that question, but many others; he wonders how art imitates and even occasionally consumes life, especially for those that are tasked with such strict demands as he is.

 "I don't think that art should integrate into life completely," Lu said, before touching on the confusing nuances of that notion. "There is a boundary between life and art, but the boundary is not very clear or rigid."

Lu's series pushes that particular boundary. On November 11, Lu cast his pursed lips in an iron mold and dubbed the work Kiss. A week later, he immersed his entire face in resin for another cast titled Even Out, a flattened imprint that captures his slackened countenance.

Lu branched out into even more esoteric themes for a piece titled Eradicate. It consists of three photos, including one of the artist dozing. Another photo shows the sleeping pills that he ingested during the production of the work; Lu took the pills in an attempt to "...wipe the day from the slate of reality." In an even more daring approach, Lu vomited into a cup and drank from the bile-filled container for another series of photos titled Circulate.  

As he works to redefine the boundaries between art and life, Lu also hopes to change the perception of abstract art in China. Lu's former mentor and "84 Days" curator Sui Jianguo, a professor at China's Central Academy of Fine Arts, said that the exhibit may be rigorous for the artist, but also demands a lot from its audiences and critics.

"Do not watch the works with rules and regulations in mind," Sui said, adding that critics' rigidity can be a liability. "It's good for critics to plan an exhibition once in awhile. But if the critic is also the curator, it will be difficult for him to give judgment. A critic should observe exhibitions from a distance so that he can have a better view and make a better comparison."

Lu doesn't see that notion as daunting. Be it closed-minded critics, artists straining under deadlines, or audiences aching for a fresh impression, the potential for growth that these groups all share just might be his biggest inspiration of all.

"I think the state of immaturity actually implies vitality and space for development space. It is during this period that you are brave enough to try and explore, even if you fail in the end."

Lu will continue to create works for the series until it closes on January 9. He is currently keeping an online record of his work and thoughts on the project; his blog can be viewed at http://blog.sina.com.cn/luzhengyuan.