Lau, Heidi

born 1987 Macau
lives in New York USA
Heidi Lau (b. 1987) grew up in Macau, lives and works in New York.

Lau proposes alternate configurations of time and space through her ceramic practice, and creates ceramics residing on the spectrum between raw chaos and sculpted order. Lau interweaves various themes and sentiments, encompassing ancient mythology and Taoist philosophy. She also focuses on family grief following the death of her mother. 

Lau’s work has been exhibited in international institutions including the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; the Bronx Museum of the Art, New York; the Museum of Chinese in America, New York; BRIC, New York; and the Macau Museum of Art, among others. In 2019, Lau presented Apparition for the Macau-China Collateral Exhibition at the 58th Venice Biennale.

Lau’s practice has been supported by numerous residencies and awards, including the Green-Wood Cemetery Residency, Greenwich House Pottery Fellowship, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, Colene Brown Art Prize, Emerging Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Process Space, the Martin Wong Foundation Scholarship, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant.


BIOGRAPHY
1987  Born in Macau 

Present  Lives and works in New York, USA


SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2026
  • Forthcoming, Two-person exhibition with Dominique Fung, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, San Francisco, USA  
2024
  • Chrysalis Spectre, with Leelee Chan, Matthew Brown, Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • A Cacophony of Rocks, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, NY, USA  
2023
  • Shadow Speak, with Biraaj Dodiya, Bureau, New York, NY, USA
2022
  • Gardens as Cosmic Terrains, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2021
  • Liste Art Fair Basel, Matthew Brown, Basel, Switzerland  
  • Empire Recast, Grand Lisboa Palace, Macau 
2020
  • Spirit Vessels, Matthew Brown, Los Angeles, CA, USA 
2019
  • Apparition, Macau-China Collateral Exhibition at the 58th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
  • Blood Echoes, AALA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA  
2018 
  • The Sentinels, with Rachel Frank, Geary, New York, NY, USA 
  • Solo Presentation, NADA New York with Geary, New York, NY, USA 
  • The Primordial Molder, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY, USA
2016
  • Third Rome, Deli Gallery, New York, NY, USA  
  • Vestiges (from a Dream Pool), Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, USA
2015                 
  • Tea of Oblivion, Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
  • Lithos Sarkophagus, Guttenberg Arts, Guttenberg, NJ, USA 
2014
  • The Obscure Region II, Macau Art Museum, Macau
2013
  • The Obscure Region, Kent Place Gallery, Summit, NJ, USA  
2012
  • In the Garden, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Staten Island, NY, USA 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026
2025
  • Sigg Prize 2025, M +, Hong Kong
  • What are you looking for?, Société Berlin, Berlin, Germany  
  • The Jealous Potter, UCCA Clay, Yixing, China  
  • Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA
  • (Re)Shaping Our World: Contemporary Ceramics, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT, USA  
  • Difficulty is cheerfully accepted, Sikkema Malloy Jenkins, New York, NY, USA  
2024-(ongoing)     
  • Shanshui: Echoes and Signals, M+, Hong Kong
2024
  • Alien, David Castillo Gallery, Miami, FL, USA
  • Mother Lode: Material and Memory, James Cohan, New York, NY, USA  
  • On Ma, Galeria Pedro Cera, Lisbon, Portugal  
  • PROGRAM, Matthew Brown, New York, NY, USA  
  • When I Kiss You, I Can Taste Your Soul, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan 
  • The Fullness of the Seeming Void, Adams and Ollman, Portland, OR, USA  
2023
  • Tony Marsh: Fever Dream Duets, Albertz Benda, Los Angeles, CA, USA  
  • Cosmos Cinema: The 14th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China  
  • Horizons: Is there anybody out there?, Antenna Space, Shanghai, China  
  • And the Moon be Still as Bright, Harper’s, New York, NY, USA 
  • Body Without Organs, Chapter, New York, NY, USA  
  • River Styx, Sea View, Los Angeles, CA, USA  
  • Crossing, Kotaro Nukaga, Tokyo, Japan  
2022
  • Liquid Ground, UCCA Dune, Beijing, China  
  • Concrete Spiritual, curated by Ajay Kurian, Morán Morán, Los Angeles, CA, USA  
  • Sculpturesque, Kiang Malingue, Hong Kong
  • Mouthed Echoes, Lyles & King, New York, NY, USA 
  • Recent Sculpture, Matthew Brown, Los Angeles, CA, USA 
  • The Hearing Trumpet Part 2, Galerie Marguo, Paris, France 
2021
  • Are The Fountain, UCCA Dune, Beijing, China  
  • Liquid Ground, Para Site, Hong Kong  
  • Social Recession, NCECA Annual, Weston Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, USA
  • Resentment Sleeve, UCCA, Beijing, China  
  • Earthly Coil, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, USA
2020
  • Severed Symbol, Deli Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
  • Death Becomes Her, BRIC, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2019
  • Lararium, Deli Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2018
  • Tiger Strike Asteroid Ground Work 2018, TSA New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA 
  • The Burke Prize: The Future of Craft Part 2, Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY, USA  
  • Clay Today, The Hole, New York, NY, USA
2017
  • Dark and Stormy Night Gothic Influence in Contemporary Art, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY, USA
  • Cabinet, curated by Adam Milner, David B Smith Gallery, Denver, CO, USA
  • Material Mythos, Geary, New York, NY, USA
  • Morph, Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York, NY, USA
  • A Most Filial Imprint, Aike Dellarco, Shanghai, China 
  • Fictive Universe, curated by Max Razdow and Kari Adelaide, Spring/Break Art Show, New York, NY, USA
2016
  • Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America, Museum of Chinese in America, New York, NY, USA 
  • Under the Tongue, curated by Marie Catalano, Evening Hours, New York, NY, USA  
2015
  • Feelers, curated by Susan Metrican, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA  
  • Made in USA/Some Parts Imported curated by Naomi Reis and Heidi Lau,  TSA New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2014
  • I put this moment... here. I put this moment... here. I put this moment... over here, curated by Jorge Roja, Aljira, Newark, NJ, USA
  • Memento Mori, Curated by Deborah Brown, Field Projects, New York, NY, USA  
  • EAF 14, Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY, USA
2013
  • Flat Files: The First Year, TSA New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA  
  • Signs of Life, Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA  
2012
  • The A.I.R. Gallery 10th Biennial, curated by Ingrid Schaffner, Brooklyn, NY, USA
  • Big Queens Drawing Show, Jamaica Center for Art and Learning, Queens, NY, USA
  • Squeeze Machine, Field Projects, New York, NY, USA
2011
  • Dividing Light, Measuring Darkness, Curious Matter, Jersey City, NJ, USA
  • Bronx Calling: the first AIM biennial, Wave Hill, Bronx, NY, USA

SELECTED AWARDS

2025 M+ Sigg Prize  

2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Craft/Sculpture 

2019 Colene Brown Art Prize 

2018 The Burke Prize by the Museum of Art and Design (Finalist) 

2017 The Foundation for Contemporary Art Emergency Grant 

2015 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant 

2014 Socrates Sculpture Park Emerging Artist Fellowship  

2012 Edward and Sally Van Lier Fellowship  

2010 Clo Ceardlann Artist Fellowship 

2005 Martin Wong Scholarship  


SELECTED RESIDENCIES 

2021 Green-Wood Cemetery Artist-In-Residence 

Greenwich House Pottery Fellowship  

2020 CSULB Center for Contemporary Ceramics  

Artists in Residence Shadenken: Governor’s Island  

2019 Soaring Gardens Artists’ Residency  

2018 Joan Mitchell Center Residency 

The Saint John’s Pottery Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Program 

Triple Canopy Commission  

2017 BRIC Media Arts Fellowship  

Museum of Art and Design Artist Studio Program  

2016 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Process Space Program 

2015 Guttenberg Arts: Space and Time Artist Residency 

2014 Center For Book Arts Workspace Program  

2013 Emmanuel College Artist in Residence Program  

Aljira Emerge 11  

2012 Snug Harbor Artist Residency Program  

2011 Bronx Museum Artist in the Marketplace Program  

2010 Clo Ceardlann Artist Residency Program, Ireland 


SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Bronx Museum of Art, The Bronx, NY, USA
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Kadist, San Francisco, CA, USA 

Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, The Bunker Artspace, West Palm Beach, FL, USA

Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga, Japan  
M+, Hong Kong  

Macau Museum of Art, Macau  

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