I come from four generations of female artisans, a long line of lace-makers in Hangzhou, China. A maker is the bearer of the object that resides under the construction of historical techniques. My materials and techniques are inspired by my kindswomen. The female artisans made the works but couldn't use them because they were sold in marketplaces and were too expensive for them. My combinations and arrangements of materials and techniques create conversations between cultures, generations, and classes. From xiāoshān huābiān (Xiao shan needle lace-making) to jiǎo xié rǎn (pattern resisted on warp and weft before dyeing and weaving), I make my works with a poetic flow between now and then and myself and them.
Rivers (Qinnan Zhu) is an artist who was born in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou,China, and came to the United States to pursue her education. She received M.F.A in Fiber and Material Studies from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023 and B.F.A in Studio Arts majored in Fiber and minor in Book arts from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2020.
She is the recipient of the Clay Morrison Scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2022, the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation Scholarship from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2019, as well as Novak Perkins Full Scholarship from Penland School of Craft in 2023. In 2023, She had her solo exhibition [Trace with the thread- Lace on an enclosed island] exhibited at the SITE gallery in Chicago, U.S. She currently divides her time between Tokyo and Chicago, where she both lives and works.