Transformation 12: Contemporary Works in Wood

Meet Contemporary Craft's 2025 Raphael Prize winner - Vivian Chiu

Vivian was selected from among 19 finalists for her work, "Revolving Vase (9 Peaches)." This new work reimagines an 18th-century Qianlong revolving vase, drawing inspiration from the traditional "Nine-Peaches Vase," a symbol of longevity and immortality in Chinese culture. The outer vessel is constructed with reclaimed wooden crates from Wing on Wo & Co., the oldest storefront in Manhattan's Chinatown. The interior features nine white peaches rendered in natural and dyed wood veneers. The piece invites viewers to consider themes of cultural preservation, craftsmanship, and memory through the language of metaphor and movement.

Vivian Chiu was born in Los Angeles and emigrated to Hong Kong at the age of three. Her interests in creating objects and the visual arts led her to attend the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA '11 Furniture Design) and Columbia University (MFA '19 Sculpture). With an aptitude for problem-solving and sensitivity toward materials, Vivian utilizes continuous deconstruction and reconstruction to create optical sculptures and explore ideas of visibility and perception.

Vivian has attended residencies such as the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Sculpture Space, Haystack Mountain School, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, the Museum for Art in Wood, and Penland School of Crafts. She is part of the 2022 American Craft Council Emerging Artists Cohort. She was awarded a 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Craft/Sculpture, the 2023-24 VMFA Visual Arts Fellowship in Crafts, and was recently a third-place prize winner for the Virginia A. Groot Grant.

Vivian lives and works in Richmond, VA.

Video produced by Michael Pisano (Pisano Films)

Learn more about "Transformation 12" at https://contemporarycraft.org/exhibit...