In January 2018， when Lyu Xiaoning crossed the threshold of La Casa Azul， Frida Kahlo’s family home in Coyoacán， Mexico， she was touched by a particular painting named Viva la Vida. For her last work， completed in 1954 following complications from an amputated leg， Kahlo chose to paint vivacious red watermelons for their significance to the Dia de los Muertos（Day of the Dead）， a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2. This holiday sees family and friends gather in remembrance of those who have gone before them. The artist inscribed the words “Viva la Vida”on the central melon wedge at the bottom of the canvas， which translate as “Long live life，” just eight days before she died.
　　Kahlo contracted polio when she was only 6， which left her with a limp， and further suffered a bus accident at the age of 18， which caused her lifelong pain and health problems. However， never allowing her physical disabilities to knock her down， Kahlo boasted an unparalleled lust for life which eventually saw her become a world-renowned painter.
　　“What is your life， and how do you go about it？ Frida simply illustrated her answer to that question，” Lyu told Beijing Review.
　　Lyu’s grandfather， who greatly influenced her life， died of cancer in the autumn of 2017. She was unable to fight her way out of the sadness his passing brought her， until she watched the 2017 Disney Pixar animation Coco， which pays tribute to Mexican culture with a joyful， colorful Day of the Dead story.
　　“The film drove me to go to Mexico， ready to ask some questions about ‘life’，” Lyu said.

On a whim

　　Kahlo’s experience allowed Lyu to feel the power of painting. The next day， armed with paper and colorings， she ventured into the streets of Mexico City to invite passers-by to draw their life as they saw it. “I received over 70 paintings in only three hours，” Lyu said. “Each one was different， and each had its own color palette.”
　　An 11-year-old drew himself riding a roller coaster to represent his life， moving up and down all the time.
　　“A bartender sat down and started drawing for almost one hour， which almost had me chomping at the bit—until I saw his painting，” Lyu said. “I could see a wild and untamed inner world running through his strokes.”
　　Lyu went on to introduce her experiment to the streets of dozens of countries.
　　In San Francisco， the U.S.， on February 3， 2018， Lyu met Jeff， a cook. He depicted the meaning of life in the shape of a fried egg， a glass of water， and a chef’s hat. 　　“I asked him why，” Lyu continued. “Jeff told me that he had been a beggar and a single father for three years after first arriving in the city. The strange and cold surroundings made him feel that life was hopeless and he found himself on the verge of committing suicide more than once.”
　　However， every time he saw his son’s face， Jeff would put a halt to his dark thoughts. After getting a grip on his mental struggles， he chose to reboot his life and signed up for a government-funded cooking course. After six months of studying， encouraged by the love for his son， Jeff managed to rebuild his life. “Food is the meaning of his life，” Lyu added.
　　In Havana， Cuba， on February 8， 2018， Lyu met a British independent film director. He tried his hand at painting life through his eyes eight times and finally returned a blank sheet of paper. “Xiaoning， I have used the lens to interpret other people’s lives and stories countless times， but today I find that I do not know the meaning of my own life. Thank you， this encounter enables me to go and rediscover myself，” he said.
　　A child in Kenya， who had never set foot outside the slums she was living in， painted her life and said， “Life is hope.”
　　“These different people have given me the power to continue my journey，” Lyu said.

A powerful canvas

　　“When Jeff gave me his picture， he wrote the words ‘do not give up’ on it and asked me to pass on his story to more people， so that those who find themselves in a similar situation can gain a sense of hope during their most challenging times， and know that there will always be a way and a day when the gloom shall fade away，” Lyu said.
　　Her profound experiences prompted Lyu to create a platform to share all these paintings and their stories. In mid-2018， she founded Viva la Vida（VIVA）， an online art gallery and social networking canvas to exhibit portrayals of life.
　　As of late 2020， VIVA had received more than 20，000 paintings from over 60 countries and regions， according to Lyu. “We have invited people from the slums of Kenya， a children’s cancer hospital in Romania and a treatment center for autistic children in China to sketch the most brilliant and frailest parts of their lives，” she added. “Subsequently， we bring these creations to the world and share both their uniqueness and parallels with others.”

　　Roughly six months after Lyu’s meeting with Jeff， she suddenly received his friend request on WeChat， one of China’s most prevalent multi-purpose social media platforms. “I was surprised， to say the least，” Lyu said.
　　Things soon became clear. After reading Jeff’s story on the VIVA website， a woman emailed him， and the two became good friends. The woman later joined the VIVA volunteers and shared Lyu’s WeChat ID with Jeff.
　　Jeff wrote Lyu， “I’m now cooking at a church in California. I want to thank you so much for just caring about me and my story， about my passion for food and how it saved me. That day I met you will forever stay with me.”
　　“It’s the power of painting，” Lyu said.“Through painting， we connect with each other.”

A charitable affair

　　The expositions of these paintings from targeted groups， such as left-behind children， orphans and cancer patients， attract worldwide attention and help raise funds to support them， according to Lyu.
　　Nevertheless， this is by no means enough.
　　On September 8， VIVA joined hands with Beijing Star Power Charity Foundation， a nonprofit organization formed by more than 120 Olympic and world champions， and founded a charity program supporting the mental health of youth.
　　The program will establish consultancy services across middle schools and offer mental health courses， developed by professional experts.“I hope to provide students with a place where they can portray their innermost uncertainties and receive the right guidance，” Lyu said.
　　There is an old saying in China， “He who knows others is intelligent； he who knows himself is wise.” Pan Qingzhong， Executive Dean and Professor of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University， said at the launch that this new， meaningful VIVA collaboration can help people better understand themselves and thus learn how to better communicate with people from different backgrounds. BR