Anne Chu’s artistic practice blends elements of Eastern and Western influence, borrowing from and paying homage to that which is modern and ancient, abstract and figurative, unknown and fantastical. Her works celebrate guardian figures, children, animals, warriors and angles. Building upon tradition, she invented and experimented with unexpected materials and formats that challenged principles of weight and volume, of space and gravity. 

The artist’s studio practice was based in New York, the city of her birth and upbringing. After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Art, she returned to NY and received her MFA from Columbia University. With artist and friend, Paul Bloodgood, Chu co-directed her first solo show, at the artist-run AC Project Room in 1996. 

Chu’s work serves as a liaison to alternate realms of artistic thought and expression, particularly through the many techniques she employed to seamlessly unite form, content, and color in an effortless and cohesive manner. Although she was primarily a sculptor, creating monumental works from wood, ceramic and papier mâché, Chu also made formidable attempts at watercolors and, in particular, monotypes. In this media form, she chose the themes of landscapes, castles and knights, creating large and unique works that at first glance seem abstract but thematically contain figurative elements which formulate a connective threat throughout her work. The handmade Japanese Kozo papers and the organic earth tones of the inks enhance the fluidity and gracefulness of the prints.

Ms. Chu was the recipient of the 2001 Penny McCall award and was awarded grants from the Anonymous Was a Woman Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation. Her work has been widely exhibited, including the Dallas Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.