Lin Chau is a multidisciplinary artist based in Scotland. Her recent work explores themes of displacement and the passage of time, combining elements of abstraction and realism through an experimental and process-led approach.
Drawing is central to her process. She sketches extensively while travelling, using these drawings as personal aides-mémoire. These initial observations are later transformed into prints through techniques such as etching, monoprint, and Chine-collé, allowing her to layer texture and tone in ways that capture the atmosphere of a place and convey a sense of impermanence.
A significant influence on her work came in 2012, when she undertook five months of training in traditional Chinese brush painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. The flowing strokes of ink on Xuan paper, where hues and lines emerge unpredictably, continue to shape her approach, enriching both her material choices and artistic language.
Born in Hong Kong and living in the UK since the 1970s, Lin Chau holds a BA (Hons) and Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art. Her work has been exhibited widely in the UK and beyond.
Selected exhibitions
- Endless Horizons, three-person exhibition, studio 44, North Ayrshire, 2025
- The Land' Scottish Society of Artists exhibition at The Dick Institute, 2025
- Inverness Creative Academy Residency Exhibition, Inverness, 2025
- Between Islands, Touring Exhibition, 2024, Glasgow Sept, Dublin Nov
- Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh, 2023
- Here and Now - Glasgow Print Studio’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition, Kelvingrove Arts Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, 2023
- Paisley Art Institute’s 133rd Annual Exhibition (Awarded The Bessie Scott Award), 2022
- Glasgow Print Studio Featured Artist solo exhibition, August 2022
- The James Watt Print Show, Trongate 103, Glasgow, June 2019 (invited exhibition)
- FACSIMILIZATION, Before and After: the reworking of a 1965 mural by Alasdair Gray. A collaboration between Lin Chau, Alasdair Gray and Roger Farnham. The Light House, Glasgow, 2018
- Intertwine: An Art Exhibition, Singapore, 2018
- CUT, Glasgow Print Studio, 2017 (invited exhibition)
Selected professional experiences/Projects
2025 - Sept, The Shed Artist Residency, Italy
2025 – April, Royal Drawing School Scottish Artists Residency at Dumfries House, Scotland
2023 - The Admiral’s House Residency, Isle of Skye, Scotland
2007 to present – Workshop artist
2015 to 2021 - Project work with Glasgow Museums
2011 to 2019 – Art studio assistant for artist and author Alasdair Gray
2015 – House for An Art Lover Mini-Residency, Glasgow
2014 – DRAWinternational – Summer residency, France
2010 to 2013 – studio 41, Co-founder and Project Development Coordinator, Glasgow
2012 – The Central Academy of Fine Art Beijing, Exchange semester, Chinese Ink Painting
2004 to 2009 – Ricefield Arts, Co-founder and Director, Glasgow