Raised in a Chinese family in Hong Kong, Richmond-based artist Vivian Chiu explores themes of migration, identity and transformation in her abstract and optical wood sculptures.
Artist: Born in Los Angeles, Chiu emigrated to Hong Kong when she was three years old. Chiu lived there with her extended family until she returned to the United States to attend the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she earned a BFA in furniture design.
Soon after graduation, Chiu moved to New York where she worked for five years before pursuing her graduate degree in sculpture at Columbia University.
In addition to creating her own work, Chiu teaches workshops at craft schools around the United States, including Penland School of Craft in western North Carolina.
Chiu lives and rents studio space in Richmond, VA.
In the beginning: Chiu studied furniture design at RISD but quickly realized she was much more interested in woodworking through sculpture rather than functional furniture.
After graduating with her undergraduate degree, Chiu was accepted into the artist-in-residency program at Anderson Ranch Arts Center (CO), where she met a board member who put her in touch with Ursula von Rydingsvard, known for her large-scale sculptures.
Chiu then moved to Brooklyn to work at UvR Studio from 2012 to 2017. During this time, she was able to go on artist residencies and build up her portfolio before going to graduate school.
Art & materials: Abstract wood sculpture (split-turned works) and optical self-portraits (Self Series) to vessels crafted from reclaimed heirloom crate wood.
In some cases, Chiu includes imagery through vinyl – and more recently – marquetry. ($2,000 to $20,000)
In her most recent series of crate wood vessels titled “Passages (those that carried us),” the vessels are crafted from reclaimed wooden crates gifted to her by Wing on Wo & Co. (W.O.W.), the oldest storefront in Manhattan’s Chinatown since 1890.
For this series, crate panels were carefully deconstructed, cut into faceted pieces and reassembled to echo the ceramic vessels they once held.
“This meticulous process preserves the crates’ stampings and markings, tangible traces of their journey from Asia to the United States,” said Chiu. “And symbolically reflects the migration stories of the Lum Family at W.O.W. and my own.”
Favorite or must-have tool: Her SawStop table saw, which allows her to cut thousands of pieces accurately and safely.
“The technology is definitely a must have for anyone who does woodworking alone,” said Chiu.
Inspirations:
- Traditional woodworking techniques, which she incorporates into her sculptural practice.
“For example, split-turning is generally used for ornaments or decorative balusters, but in the scale that I do it, they turn into large abstract geometric totems,” said Chiu.
- Being a Queer Chinese woman in America.
“As any immigrant may understand, we constantly talk about assimilation or ‘shape shifting,’” said Chiu. “When I deconstruct and reconstruct these shapes, what parts are revealed as a result of this shift?”
Commission: “Random Orbit,” a large-scale split-turned relief sculpture in the lobby of a leading financial services organization in New York.
It is Chiu’s only commission, but she would love to do more.
Recent awards/honors:
- “Revolving Vase” (9 Peaches) won the 2025 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founders Prize in “Transformation 12: Contemporary Works in Wood” at Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA.
- The “Crate Vessel” series earned a bronze award for Universal Design through Design Educates, an international design competition. 2025.
- First place in the juried exhibition “Made in VA” through the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. The award comes with a solo exhibition in late 2026.
Recent project: In late 2024, Chiu took a marquetry class with Dave Heller (of Virginia-based Heller & Heller furniture) and started incorporating marquetry in her works.
Marquetry is the art of creating pictures with wood veneer. In her Revolving Vessels, Chiu has incorporated illustrations made with natural and dyed wood veneers.
For example, Chiu’s recent piece “Revolving Vase (Nine Peaches)” reimagines an 18th-century Qianlong revolving vase, drawing inspiration from the traditional “Nine-Peaches Vase,” a symbol of longevity and immortality in Chinese culture.
“This piece invites viewers to consider themes of cultural preservation, craftsmanship, and memory,” said Chiu. “I plan to push this technique further and incorporate it into larger sculptural forms.”
What’s new: Two group shows:
- “Transformation 12: Contemporary Works in Wood” at Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh. Through Jan.17, 2026.
- “A Usable Past” at the Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Through Feb. 15, 2026.
What’s next: Solo exhibitions:
- Brad Cushman Gallery at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR. Jan. 15 through March 15, 2026.
- Gravers Lane Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. March 2026.
- Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA. Late 2026.
- Teaching a class at Snow Farm. Summer 2026. Williamsburg, MA.
Where to buy:
- Penland Gallery, NC.
- Gravers Lane Gallery, PA. March 2026
- Contact Chiu at vivianchiustudio@gmail.com
Connect:
- Instagram: @viv_chiu.
- Website: vivianchiustudio.com and subscribe to Chiu’s quarterly newsletter where she shares news of upcoming work, shows and classes.
