LIN XU 徐琳
“The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?”
- Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)
Lin is a Chinese-Canadian visual artist and educator whose practice centers on clay and ceramics. She was born in Inner Mongolia, China, to parents trained in radio engineering and computer science who were displaced to rural regions during the Cultural Revolution. In 1983, the family relocated to Beijing.
In 2004, after teaching at Washington State University, Lin accepted a full-time faculty position at Brandon University, Manitoba. There, she established the ceramics facilities and helped develop the ceramics program within the university’s newly formed visual art department.
In May 2026, Lin received an Honours B.S. degree in Biological Science from Brandon University, with the hope that her studies would continue to inform and deepen her artistic practice. She will be leaving Brandon University and relocating to Coquitlam, BC, in September 2026.
Beyond teaching and studio practice, Lin values solitude, the company of her daughter and pets, and the quiet pleasure of learning and good food and drinks.
