The Penland Gallery presents a reception for the exhibition titled Vivian Chiu: Family Dinner, on Friday, July 18 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM with an artist talk at 4:30 PM.

The pieces in the exhibition are vessel forms made from pine crate wood. The artist received a gift of wooden shipping crates from Wing On Wo and Co, the oldest continuously operated storefront in Manhattan’s Chinatown. She dismantled them, cut them into hundreds of carefully calculated pieces, and then reassembled them into vessel forms that echo the porcelain wares that were shipped in the crates. Some of the pieces incorporate marquetry to create narrative imagery evoking stories of Chiu’s childhood in Hong Kong.

The pieces are beautiful and evocative, the technical complexity and execution are remarkable, and it all adds up to breathtaking exhibition.