Curator-in-Residence Albert Chau: Community, Culture, and Lots of Red Envelopes

Many of us at Pearl River Mart grew up with the tradition of giving out and receiving red envelopes. As kids we relished the thrill of birthdays, family gatherings, and of course Lunar New Year when older relatives would hand out hong baos of cold hard cash. So when Albert Chau (also known as Grumpy Bert) approached us about hosting the 11th annual Red Envelope Show, we knew it was the perfect fit.

We had the chance to chat with Albert about his own memories of red envelopes, how the Red Envelope Show came about, and his current obsession (think cute pugs).

Tell us a little about your childhood and background. Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in a small suburb near Long Beach in southern California. It was a small town when I was growing up. It was still kind of farm land and being developed. I remember seeing cows and horses in the area. Luckily the city was fairly diverse though. I grew up in a dense Asian American community, many were Chinese, Korean and Filipino families. 

Were you always interested in art? How did your interest develop?

I don't really consider myself an artist. Growing up I always liked to doodle and draw. I would purchase the old MAD magazines and mimic their different styles of drawings. In elementary school art was definitely a favorite subject of mine. My teachers knew that too. I'd always be part of the art committee for various school events like the talent show. 

My dad wasn't an official artist, but he was always interested in art. He was always painting at home. He would use different mediums. Art was always in my environment but nothing I pursued.

What did you study in college? What was your first career out of college?

At first I was attracted to advertising but without a complete understanding of what that world was about. I was attracted to the creative part of it. Ultimately I focused more in marketing and went to school for that.

After school I was a marketing assistant at a consumer electronics company in San Francisco. The job was working in the art department, where I got hands on training doing mockups for packaging. It was a lot of fun. They also had an in-house photography department and I had the chance to shadow the photographer. He taught me the ropes, and I picked it up really quickly. Eventually I became their in-house photographer.

I was a product photographer for this company for about six years. After that I freelanced. I enjoyed being outside, running around and shooting events. I have a real love for music. Luckily for me there was an opening for a music photographer in the Bay Area. I was a contributor to Getty Images and got a lot of access to shooting music and various events. At the same time I was freelancing on my own. I did that for 15 years with a few jobs in between.

Then I moved out to New York. I had some clients out here and continued freelancing. I had a small stint at CBS news as a photo editor. But my longtime dream was to open a small shop and gallery. After a few months I quit the CBS job and opened Grumpy Bert.

What made you want to open a shop and gallery?

When I was living in LA, I was a big fan of Giant Robot. I loved the concept and what they were doing. That focus on Asian American pop culture. It was something I was always interested in. When I came out here, I thought, Hey why not just try and go for it. 

It took baby steps. I had never had done anything in retail. I didn't have any art connections. But one thing led to another, and everything started growing and growing. At the same time I was freelancing. That's what was paying the bills.

I know you've been curating the Red Envelope Show for quite a few years. How did it get started? How has it evolved over the years?

When I was coming up with what kinds of shows I wanted to have at Grumpy Bert, the Red Envelope Show was one of the first I wanted to pursue. 

When we first opened up, we did a variety of shows — photography and other types of group shows. The Red Envelope Show came about a year and half after I opened it. I needed time partly because I still needed to grow an art community. The first year we did it was the Year of the Monkey so 2014. 2026 will be the 11th year of putting together the show. It's a show that I personally love. It's growing and growing. It's definitely a popular event.

The red envelope is a core childhood memory of mine. We called them lai see. They were given out during celebrations and gatherings. My sister and I would beam at all the red envelopes being handed out. If I didn't really want to go to a family gathering, the incentive would be there would be red envelopes there. 

I distinctly remember the variety of beautiful designs. The shiny gold Chinese characters. The colorful and playful designs that had the year of the animal. The logo if it was sponsored by a bank or something. I even remember the adhesive sticky flap that I would struggle to open.

However that idea popped in my head to hand out red envelopes and ask artists to create something on it — it just seemed like a good idea. Something that made sense. Not only a great way to have an art show but a way to share the culture behind the red envelope.

How many artists were in first show?

The first one was around 40. After that I was like whoa something's working here. There was a lot of word of mouth. Everything happened organically. Once artists get involved, they share it with their friends, and the show grew and grew. The current show is going to about 100 artists, which is a good amount. We've had larger shows — up to 250 artists. But that was a little too much to manage. I feel like 100 artists is a good number.

Do you give any guidelines to the artists?

I hand out the red envelopes to the artists since I want a uniform look and size. Otherwise the basic guidelines are to not destroy the envelope too much — I don't mind if they change the color but I like to still be able to see shape of the envelope — and to have fun with it.

Some don't focus on the year animal but most do produce that. They understand the show is about celebration. A lot of them produce something specific for Lunar New Year. Some stick with what they always do.

I understand Grumpy Berty closed — when did that happen?

Around 2018. So a couple of years right before the pandemic. In that way we were lucky. We could have kept going, but the owners wanted the space back. My wife also used it as a writing workshop so it was a multiuse space. There was definitely a reason to keep going. Ultimately we just decided to shut it down and not procure another space. It was bittersweet. I miss having our own space. That community. Then there's the business side of things. It’s a little bit of a relief too. A weight off our shoulders.

But the Red Envelope Show needed to continue. After the show closed we looked for other venues. We had a show at Flushing Town Hall. The pandemic year we had a show out in LA at the Chinese American Museum. We worked with Hashimoto Contemporary/Harman Projects for a couple of years. We had shows at private venues out in City Point in Brooklyn. We continued on.

What made you reach out to Pearl River Mart to exhibit your show? What makes Pearl River a good fit?

There's so much history with Pearl River Mart. When I first moved to New York, I remember not knowing that much about the city. I did a little research, and Pearl River Mart was one of the first places to pop up. 

The most attractive thing to me is how centered you guys are around community. The Red Envelope Show is all about community. The opening is all family and friends. It feels like a nice community. Whenever we look for a venue, we look for a place that can offer that safe and friendly place for a community environment.

Do you have a favorite memory of Pearl River? A favorite item or product? 

My kids love it at your store. They could spend hours there and it's really dangerous as far as my pockets go. [Laughs] Of course you have your cutesy toys, but I also like to variety of traditional things like instruments. My youngest girl really likes music, and she spent a good half hour one day playing with some kind of drum. She was just fixated.

I also like how you guys have traditional clothing there. That's really cool to see. And also the snacks. I guess you could say it's dangerous for me too.

Is there anything you’re obsessed with right now?

Currently it's pugs. I recently picked up two pug puppies at different rescues. We used to have a pug named Remy. He passed away on the opening of the last Red Envelope Show. We had him for 14 years. He's been my muse. He's always attended the art shows. Artists love him. He's always been a part of Grumpy Bert.

The Red Envelope Show: Year of the Horse is on view in the Pearl River Mart gallery from Feb. 7 through March 29. Join us for the opening reception on Feb. 7 from 5 to 7 PM. Attendance is free but registration is appreciated.