Cathy Lu
Nüwa’s Hands, 2022
Ceramic, gold luster, and steel cable
Cathy Lu’s colossal clay sculpture Nüwa’s Hands (2022) references the mother goddess of Chinese mythology, Nüwa. Frequently depicted with a serpent-like body and a human head, Nüwa is credited with the creation of mankind. To abate her loneliness here on Earth, Nüwa sat by a river bank and sculpted humans from yellow clay.
In Lu’s version, the roles are reversed, as the human artist molds a representation of the goddess from clay. Here, the snaking serpent goddess is festooned with gold-lustered peach pits. Among the most ancient domesticated fruits, peaches originated in China and culturally symbolize fertility, longevity, and health. However, peach pits contain amygdalin, a substance that can turn to cyanide when mixed with enzymes during the digestion process. This contradiction, of a healthful fruit and its potentially deadly core, underscores the complexity of the creation myth. Each end of the serpent features hands with long, spiraling nails, referencing the Chinese belief that long nails signify wealth, as well as the nail salons in the United States run by East Asian immigrants.
Lu described the Bay Area as a Chinese-American utopia, owing that sentiment in part to the plethora of Asian markets available here. Lu moved to San Francisco in 2008 and attended SFAI. Lu now splits her time between the Bay Area and Boston.
Photos courtesy of Henrik Kam.
ARTIST BIO
Cathy Lu manipulates traditional Chinese art objects and symbols as a way to deconstruct the assumptions we have about Asian American identity and cultural authenticity. By creating ceramic based sculptures and large scale installations, Lu explores what it means to be both Asian and American, while not being entirely accepted as either. Unpacking how experiences of immigration, cultural hybridity, and cultural assimilation become part of the larger American identity is central to their work. Cathy lives and works in Richmond, CA.
