Research Bio

Cathy Lu is a ceramic artist whose work reimagines Chinese-American identity through the lens of material culture, labor, and migration. Her installations combine traditional Chinese ceramic techniques with contemporary sculptural practices to interrogate cultural assimilation, hybridity, and the commodification of Asian aesthetics. By deconstructing and reassembling porcelain objects, food motifs, and domestic forms, Lu explores the tensions between heritage and adaptation, craft and mass production, personal narrative and collective history. Her pieces often incorporate site-specific elements, inviting viewers to reconsider the political and emotional landscapes of diaspora.

Lu is an Assistant Professor of Art Practice at UC Berkeley. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving awards and residencies from organizations including the Archie Bray Foundation, SFMoma, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Bemis, Harvard Ceramics Program, and Root Division. Her expertise is in ceramic sculpture and installation art that engages Asian-American identity, migration histories, and the intersections of tradition and contemporary practice.

Research Expertise and Interest

ceramics, sculpture