Opening Reception: “Hey Friend” new work by Nikki Lau

“Meka leka hi, meka hiney ho”

“Be our guest! Be our guest!”

These were memorable greetings from cartoon characters and children’s TV show personalities
in the 90’s. Growing up as an only child, I would plop myself down in front of the tv on
Saturday morning and be transported to other worlds. These characters taught lessons of
kindness, compassion, empathy and the humanness of being flawed and imperfect. They were
fun, colorful, whimsical worlds where you could be weird, eclectic and fully yourself. They were
the friends that you could have, that let you know you were not alone.

Hey Friend is my salutation into my fantastical world. Each character in this show is here to
welcome you. Inspired by my love of Mr. Rogers, Pee-wee Herman, Beetle Juice and 90’s Disney
animation, this exhibition is what I imagine walking into that world would look like through
domestic objects, sculptures and installations. Each character is filled with complex emotions
that mirror our own. In a serious and difficult world, this show is the antidote.

 

Nikki Lau was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She received her MFA at Penn State in 2016. Penn State awarded her the Bunton Waller Assistantship. She received her BA in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts at the University of Washington in 2008.

 

Nikki was the artist resident at The Clay Art Center New York from 2018 – 2019 and 2019-2020 a resident artist at Armory Art Center in Florida.

 

Nikki has done short term residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Arrowmont’s Pentaculum and an international residency at Casa Lu Sur in Mexico City. She’s participated in art shows throughout the country.

She typically splits her time between California and Pennsylvania living her snowbird life as she works on her pottery and home décor business Little Lau Shop.

 

She is currently the ceramic artist & resident at Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media for 2025-2026.