Hot Spots
Standouts
Diem Chau might be described
as a memory keeper. From her
carved crayons, such as
Girl in
Green®,
that reflect on lost in-
nocence, much like a broken
crayon, to her embroidered par-
tial figures on stretched cloth
that covers discarded dishes O ,
a renewal of an object’s previ-
ous life, the past is ever-present
in her art.
Her own past has undeniably
been a major influence. Chau,
who was born to a Vietnamese
mother and Chinese father, im-
migrated to the United States
in 1986. It was an arrival long
overdue. In 1978 Chau’s parents
attempted to get out of war-
ravaged Vietnam. However,
they were caught by the Viet-
namese coast guard and sen-
tenced to a year each in jail.
Chau’s mother, who was preg-
nant with her at the time, was
given an early release, and after
Chau’s birth they applied for
U.s. immigration. Sponsored
by her uncles, who’d success-
fully escaped to the u .s., they
began the long, slow process
of immigration. It took six years
before the family could leave
Vietnam; they then spent a year
in a refugee camp in the Philip-
pines before arriving in Seattle.
“I remember my first impres-
sion of the u .s. was, ‘Oh, it’s
not that different here,’” muses
Chau.
“ 1
heard so many fantasy
stories about the U.S. like ‘The
Gold Mountain’ and other gran-
deurs. I thought it’d be like Can-
dy Land: the trees are made of
lollipops, the streets are paved
with gold and people fly around
on swans. I was also seven and
had an active imagination.”
This imagination may have
sparked Chau’s artistic career.
She can’t remember a time when
art wasn’t part of her life. (“The
pencil was my first toy,” she
notes.) But it was Chau’s fa-
ther’s death when she was in
high school that really motivated
her. “You only have one life,”
she says. “Spend it doing what
drives you to live.”
Chau attended Cornish Col-
lege of the Arts in Seattle to
study painting. Yet the medium
left her slightly unsatisfied. “I
also wanted to work with non-
art materials,” she says. “I got
tired of preaching to the choir.
I love painting; it’s a very medi-
tative process, but I couldn’t
connect with the medium or
end result. When I was done
with a painting I was done.”
By using items from every-
day life Chau touches on the
fleeting moments of existence,
something that all can relate
to. The crayons tell the story
of childhood innocence while
the dishes reflect the bonds that
form when people break bread
together. Her work continues
to head in new directions. While
in the past she focused on her
own experiences, she is now
taking a broader look at human
narratives.
“I took a step back from
making work that was too per-
sonal because I wanted the
viewers to be able to connect to
it,” she says. “It’s a balancing
act. I’ve also shifted my issues.
Instead of loss, I focus on iden-
tity. It’s no longer about cul-
tural erosion, but about defining
my generation, understanding
our differences while acknowl-
edging our past. My work is one
continuously evolving piece.
I’m trying to capture a stream
of consciousness.”— s.s.
diemchau.com
Gallery shows, listed A -Z by
state. View complete calendar:
americancraftmag.org
AL / Huntsville
Huntsville Museum of Art
Looking at the Collection:
The Elegant Vessel
to Nov. 8
hsvmuseum.org
Stylistically diverse works in
wood, glass, metal and clay,
evoke a sense of refined beauty.
A Z / Tucson
Tohono Chul Park
Wish Tou Were Here
to Nov. 16
tohonochulpark.org
Artists from anywhere in the
world construct picture-perfect
fiber-art postcards referencing
trips in Arizona.
CA / Oceanside
Oceanside Museum of Art
Fabric o f Survival: The Fabric
Art o f Esther Nisenthal Krinitz
to Oct. 25
oma-online.org
Through embroidered panels,
Krinitz poignantly narrates
her remarkable story of living
through the Holocaust.
oct/novo9 american craft on
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaiza.net
