December 13, 2003
LBW Art Review
In the current art world climate, characterized by an overwhelming concern with a variety of issues stemming from questions of origin, cultural exchange and the fabrication and dissemination of identity, it is refreshing to come across the authentic work of such a versatile, humble artist as Maria Lau. Though she has traveled the traditional path of formal training, ranging from studies under a favorite photography professor, Bruce Habbegar at CUNY, to advanced studies at the renowned International Center for Photography, Maria’s true inspiration derives from the epiphanic intersection of her academic-artistic-multicultural heritage and the realized dream of longing for a return to the homeland from which many of her compatriots have been living too long in exile.
As an American of Chinese-Cuban descent, Maria’s cultural background bequeathed her a decidedly authentic sense of the paramount importance of cultural preservation, and the valuable interplay among individual cultures. Her photographs display a subtle immediacy and tangibly fragrant humanity that promise the viewer a world of greater understanding, intimacy, and mellifluous motion within the framework she creates in each individual work of art. Lau's photographs have been selected for publication and exhibition by major publications and art shows internationally. She's recently returned from a trip to Cuba where she worked on photographs of Havana's Chinatown.
Future projects include further photographic experimentation and documentary works, as well as the development of artworks that derive from the interrelation between digital video and texts. The refreshingly promising ambition of this remarkably young artist with the perspective of a mature star is, in her own words, “writing history through visual media to enable remembrances of life that would have otherwise been forgotten.”
December 13, 2003
LBW Art Review
In the current art world climate, characterized by an overwhelming concern with a variety of issues stemming from questions of origin, cultural exchange and the fabrication and dissemination of identity, it is refreshing to come across the authentic work of such a versatile, humble artist as Maria Lau. Though she has traveled the traditional path of formal training, ranging from studies under a favorite photography professor, Bruce Habbegar at CUNY, to advanced studies at the renowned International Center for Photography, Maria’s true inspiration derives from the epiphanic intersection of her academic-artistic-multicultural heritage and the realized dream of longing for a return to the homeland from which many of her compatriots have been living too long in exile.
As an American of Chinese-Cuban descent, Maria’s cultural background bequeathed her a decidedly authentic sense of the paramount importance of cultural preservation, and the valuable interplay among individual cultures. Her photographs display a subtle immediacy and tangibly fragrant humanity that promise the viewer a world of greater understanding, intimacy, and mellifluous motion within the framework she creates in each individual work of art. Lau's photographs have been selected for publication and exhibition by major publications and art shows internationally. She's recently returned from a trip to Cuba where she worked on photographs of Havana's Chinatown.
Future projects include further photographic experimentation and documentary works, as well as the development of artworks that derive from the interrelation between digital video and texts. The refreshingly promising ambition of this remarkably young artist with the perspective of a mature star is, in her own words, “writing history through visual media to enable remembrances of life that would have otherwise been forgotten.”