Adam Chau is currently the Exhibitions Manager at Clay Art Center. A graduate of the Industrial Design program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, his studio practice looks at hybridizing digital technology with traditional craft practices. He has published his research in Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Art and Perception, Ceramics Technical, and Studio Potter.
As a biracial Asian American I have always been interested in my Asian heritage, but feel trepidation in claiming it and participating authentically in cultural acts and events because of my Caucasian blood and American upbringing. To investigate my heritage and internalized questions of birthright into traditional crafts, I have de-pixelized images of Qing dynasty vessels - essentially obliterating objects that are unquestionably Chinese and of the highest quality. Obscuring these images question what percentage of lineage must one be in order to use cultural symbols. It is a statement of how I am quite often seen in the world: not quite 100%.