July 5 – October 15, 2018

Over the course of her three-month residency, Cathy Lu developed an installation of ceramic-based sculptures inspired by the ancient Chinese myth of the Immortal Peach Garden.

According to legend, peaches from this garden ripen over generations to be eaten by deities to gain eternal life. For thousands of years the peach fruit has served as a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Chinese culture.

In Western art history, the fruits are also part of a suggestive, symbolic visual language and are frequently fetishized in popular culture today.

Neither edible or romanticized, Lu's Peach Garden offered an alternative perspective to traditional symbolism associated with the fruit.

In addition to opening and closing receptions, Cathy led a free ceramics workshop for the community.

Cathy Lu  is a San Francisco-based artist. Her work explores the manipulation and appropriation of traditional Chinese art imagery and how ideas of cultural ‘authenticity’ and ‘tradition’ interface with contemporary trans-cultural experiences. Her work has been exhibited at venues including Johansson Projects, Root Division, Aggregate Space, and Hashimoto Contemporary. She is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI MFA 2010) and Tufts University (BFA 2007). She has taught ceramics at UC Berkeley, Sonoma State University, California College of the Arts (CCA), and Ulloa Elementary

PRESS:

Sarah Hotchkiss for KQED Arts

Peach Garden was supported by funding from the San Francisco Arts Commission.