Alexandra Chiou draws on memory, landscape, and family history to create intricate collages that explore themes of uncharted terrains as symbols of hope, possibility, and new beginnings. Chiou works primarily with layered hand-cut paper to create dimensional works that investigate the threshold between painting and sculpture. Her paintings and works on paper have been exhibited nationally and abroad.
"My work very much started with this interest in nature. Not just the beauty of nature or the complexity of nature, but the sense of exploration when you find a new place. Really exploring you feel immersed in a new environment and that sense of all that you feel. But nature is also a place of reflection and a true sanctuary. All of those ideas have always really inspired me and intrigue me. I'm really driven to create work that celebrates a lot of those things."
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Alexandra Chiou
In conversation with Charlotte Russell February 9, 2021 -
Process
I am drawn to paper as it is a common material that is also versatile and moldable. I work with hand-cut paper to create dimensional collages that explore the threshold between painting and sculpture. I paint, cut, and arrange various shapes and colors as if I am piecing together a puzzle; each shape, line, and color is a hint, trace, and impression of nature and memory.
When people hear the word sculptural, they think of ceramics or some kind of metal and they don't think of paper so in that respect they appreciate how kind of under-the-radar. [Paper] beats expectations in a way and it's just very flexible. It's something that can be so many things and I really love experimenting with it.
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Making "Hatch"
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Making "Edge of the World"
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Available Works
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On the horizon
Grace Clark and Alexandra Chiou 8 January - 26 March 2021CRC Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, On the horizon , on view January 8 - March 26, 2021, features artworks by two contemporary female artists: Alexandra Chiou and Grace Clark. The artworks...
