Vivian Chiu
Bio: Vivian Chiu (b. 1989) is a visual artist who works primarily in wood. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Hong Kong, Vivian attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she graduated with a BFA in Furniture Design (’11). Her work utilizes repetition and labor intensive processes to not only create visually dynamic work but also to pay homage to her family’s history in factory labor. Vivian has been an ArtistinResidence at Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Sculpture Space, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, amongst others. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Milan, and Hong Kong.
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: What is the weight of tension?
What is it like to have two opposing concepts within the same body?
As a queer Asian woman interested in ideas of (in)visibility, I use methods of laborious deconstruction and reconstruction of materials such as wood, acrylic and photography to reveal and conceal the female body. I am interested in the tension created by combining contrasting forms and concepts into a single object. How can a grid be changed into a body? How can the body be defined through the grid? What is the weight of your subconscious?
Drawing from personal experiences and histories, I create abstract optical sculptures and images to engage with the viewer through ideas of perception, disorientation, and camouflage. How can you expose something in the process of hiding it? Repetition and laborintensive methods are used not only as catharsis to alleviate psychological narratives, but also to pay a conscious homage to my family’s history and toils in factory work.
L to R: Level (Video 10:40 minutes, 2019) ; Looking (72" × 40, Inkjet print, 2019)"; Weight (96" × 96", Poplar, braided string, 2019)