Hicksville artist featured in exhibit
Hicksville artist Cynthia Lau will have her work displayed at the upcoming Women of the World exhibit, an art and photography exhibit that spotlights local female artists.
Though still a college student, Lau has already made her presence known on the Long Island art scene. Last year she won Huntington Arts Council’s Post No Bills art contest (her work was reproduced and displayed in various Long Island bus shelters) and won third place in the Adult Amateur category of the Long Island Arts Alliance’s Arts Alive Festival Poster Contest.
She said she’s proud to be one of over 50 artists featured in the upcoming Women of the World exhibit, saying that “being surrounded by all these talented people is inspiring, both as a woman and an artist.” Lau will be displaying three works in next month’s exhibit.
One of her works, “The Three Golden Flowers,” was inspired by a story from Lau’s mom and aunt’s childhood in China.
“They were not only beautiful, but they were bold, intelligent and talented as well,” Lau explains. “I used a monotype print as the base of the image, and collaged photos of them coupled with lions to portray their tenacity and beauty at once.”
Lau draws inspiration for her work from people and events, as well as the complexities that surround everyday life.
“As you get to know someone, you discover various layers of thought and emotion. I’m fascinated by the unique complexity that every personality possesses,” Lau says. “My art is inspired by various interactions and experiences I have with those individuals, be it friends, family or people I just met.”
Lau has been an artist since she was a child, saying that when saw her dad making small doodles for her when she was little, she wanted to create things too.
“I’ve been drawing nonstop since,” she says.
Lau graduated from Hicksville High School in 2012 and currently attends Hartford Art School, where she is an Illustration major. Last year, Lau’s passion and talent for art led her overseas, as she was granted a scholarship by the University of Hartford to travel to Nigeria, where she researched women’s roles in Carnival, as well as to Ghana where she learned about and created African traditional and sustainable art techniques at the Kokrobitey Institute. She describes the experience as life changing.
“It has enhanced the way I approach art and everyday life. I am more aware of how I use materials and let the different qualities of each medium affect my art making,” said Lau. “Experiencing such a colorful and rich culture that’s so different from our own was amazing, and I feel like I’ve gained a higher level of consciousness from living in Africa.”
The Women of the World exhibit is hosted by the Nassau County Comptroller’s Office. On Feb. 26, the works will be displayed at 6 p.m. in the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building (1500 Franklin Ave. in Mineola), where they will be judged by industry professional. They will then be shown at a month-long exhibit which starts March 4 at the Hutchins Gallery in the main library on the campus of LIU Post. To find out more call the comptroller’s office at 516-571-2679.
