“When naughty birds don’t obey the rules,” 2023, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, gold ink, 27 x 23 x 4 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Teaching Artist Cohort
2025
Chenlu Hou’s imaginative sculptures draw inspiration from Chinese folk art, ceremonial objects, and moments from her daily life. Blending personal memories with reinterpretations of traditional storytelling, Hou creates a distinctive artistic language that weaves together sharp decorative elements and narrative suggestions. Her hand-built ceramic works explore the intricate relationships between human, animal, and plant forms, inviting viewers into layered worlds where the boundaries between myth, memory, and lived experience blur.
Born in Shandong, China, Chenlu Hou is a ceramic artist based in Providence. She received her MFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2019 and has completed residencies at the Museum of Arts and Design, Penland School of Craft, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and the Archie Bray Foundation. She is currently a Visiting Critic in Ceramics at RISD.
Selected works
“How to cope with fear—Little moth dresses up and gets ready to go to a community dance class,” 2025, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, ropes, 23 x 8 x 28 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Two vegetarian snakes are sucking nectar through retractable straws,” 2024, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, hand-cut polypropylene, 23 x 8 x 26 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Tian Gou Shi Ri—The truth about solar eclipse and how to observe it using pinhole imaging principle,” 2024, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, 28 x 5 x 30 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“In memory of the auntie with a gold tooth who butchered a carp right in front of you,” 2023, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, hand-cut polypropylene, 29 x 20 x 4 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Birds don’t eat cicadas that are shedding,” 2023, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, 28 x 13.5 x 3.5 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“When naughty birds don’t obey the rules,” 2023, terracotta, underglaze, zip ties, high-temp wire hooks, gold ink, 27 x 23 x 4 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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67 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
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Gallery Hours: Closed — Reopening Fall 2019
