Chenta Laury is a Maui-based artist whose practice centers on the labor-intensive processing of fibers. She transforms natural materials—wauke, hau, wool, silk, and cotton—into layered 2-D, 3-D, and installation works that weave together abstract, representational, and conceptual vocabularies. Her art reflects on place, identity, belonging, and recurring themes of adaptation, diaspora, reconciliation, and the search for wholeness within shifting personal and political landscapes. Drawing from African-American quilting, Finnish/Scandinavian felting, and Hawaiian kapa (barkcloth) traditions, Laury merges heritage, concept, and materiality while challenging the divide between craft and fine art. By cultivating and harvesting much of her own material, she positions nature as both subject and medium, urging viewers to recognize its inherent beauty and value.
Chenta Laury is a Maui-based artist and educator originally from O‘ahu. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions locally and nationally, including in the Hawai‘i Triennial (HB2019), Schaefer International Gallery, and Kahilu Theater. Her pieces are held in prominent public and private collections such as the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Howard Hughes Corporation, Capital Modern (Hawai‘i State Art Museum), and the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Laury holds degrees from Oberlin College and Harvard University, and a Certificate in Applied Arts from the Fiber Crafts Studio. In 2024, she was a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow nominee and her work was featured in Fiber Art Now.
