(En)gendered Agency 2023
Cathy Lu
Bio:
Cathy Lu received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and BA & BFA from Tufts University. She has participated in artist in residence programs at Kohler Arts Center, Bemis Center for the Arts, Recology San Francisco, Greenwich House Pottery NYC, and the Archie Bray Foundation. Her work has been exhibited at the Armory Fair NYC, Art Basel Hong Kong, SFMOMA, Chinese Culture Center (San Francisco), Jessica Silverman Gallery (San Francisco), Root Division (San Francisco), A-B Projects (Los Angeles), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Los Angeles) and Galerie du Monde Hong Kong. She was a 2019 Asian Cultural Council/ Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation Fellow, and is a 2022 SFMOMA SECA Award winner.
Artist Statement:
I create ceramic sculptures and installations that manipulate traditional Chinese imagery and presentation as a way to deconstruct assumptions about Chinese diasporic identity and cultural authenticity. Unpacking how experiences of immigration, cultural hybridity, and cultural assimilation become part of American identity is central to my work.
Peach Garden, 2018
Stoneware sculptures, dyed concrete bases; part of a larger installation
Dimensions variable:
Chartreuse Peach: 15 x 14 x 13 in. Base (two parts): 19 x 20 x 15 in.
Orange Peach: 13 x 15 x 12 in. / Base: 8 x 17 x 14 in.
Pink Peach: 15 x 11 x 18 in. / Base: 8 x 19 x 11 in.
Purple Peach: 13 x 15 x 11 in. / Base: 13 x 17 x 11 in.
Yellow Peach: 17 x 18 x 13 in. / Base: 12 x 18 x 14 in.
NFS
Referencing the Chinese myth of the Immortal Peach Garden, where the deities ate peaches that gave them eternal life, this work examines the myth in relation to another prevalent mythological garden in American culture, The Garden of Eden. Both of these mythological gardens contain stories that exemplify hierarchy, xenophobia, and fetishize their fruits. My version of these peaches is transformed and fermenting, resisting traditional symbolism and offering an alternative ‘third space’ for third culture people such as myself.
Nuwas Hands, 2019
Jingdezhen porcelain
6 x 18 x 6 inches
NFS
Nuwas Hands evokes the mother goddess of Chinese mythology, Nuwa. Frequently depicted with a serpent-like body and a human head, Nuwa is credited with the creation of mankind. To abate her loneliness here on Earth, Nuwa sat by a river bank and sculpted humans from yellow clay. The hands feature long, curling nails, referencing the Chinese belief that long nails signify wealth.
Skin Series: Untitled I, 2012
Watercolor on paper
40 x 30 inches, unframed
NFS
Skin Series: Untitled II, 2012
Watercolor on paper
40 x 30 inches, unframed
NFS
Skin Series explores racialized bodies and is also influenced by the lives of Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twin brothers who became known as “The Siamese twins”.
Exhibition Season:
(En)gendered Agency 2023