Between Objects and Bodies
with Cathy Lu / November 2021
About the Studio Session
The distinction between an object and a body is often an unsettling, blurry matter. Sometimes our bodies are seen as objects, and sometimes objects become stand-ins for our bodies. Our objects—who makes them, how we make them, how we use them, and how we preserve them—contribute to representing, reflecting, and revising our understanding of ourselves and others. This Studio Session will consider the spectrum between objects and bodies, and negotiate interior and exterior spaces, bodily and spiritual transformations, and objects as cultural signifiers.
About the Lead Artist
Cathy Lu (b. Miami, FL) is a ceramic artist who manipulates traditional Chinese art imagery and presentation as a way to deconstruct the assumptions we have about cultural authenticity. By creating ceramic sculptures and large-scale installations, she explores what it means to be both Asian and American, while not being entirely accepted as either. Unpacking how experiences of immigration, cultural hybridity, and cultural assimilation become part of American identity is central to her work.
Cathy received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and her BA & BFA from Tufts University. She has participated in artist in residence programs at Root Division, Vermont Studio Center, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and Recology SF. Her work has been exhibited at Johansson Projects, Somarts, Aggregate Space, Berkeley Arts Center, and A-B Projects. She was a 2019 Asian Cultural Council/ Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation Fellow and 2020 NCECA Emerging Artist. Cathy currently teaches ceramics at California College of the Arts, and Mills College.