Art as a Compass, Navigating Cultural Identities
Initiated and organized by The Bridge Arts Foundation, the 'Beyond Borders' Global Young Artist Open-Call Exhibition is currently being held at The Scholart Selection Art Space in San Gabriel, California, and will run until December 31, 2023.
Bridge Arts Foundation's Art Director, Tia Xu, engaged in a conversation about the exhibition and art with several artists participating in this exhibition. In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with Chinese-American artist Kiki Zhen.
—— Q&A ——
Tia Xu: Could you please share your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in art?
Kiki Zhen: I was born in Guangdong, China and immigrated to Chicago, IL when I was five alongside my parents. I spent my childhood growing up within the Chinese community in Chicago Chinatown. As a firstborn of an immigrant household I was lucky to have supportive parents that were not strict when it came to my career path. However, I was still a very lost and confused teenager back then. Especially with the need for me to navigate between my Chinese language and culture and this brand new American style version. As I continued my journey through high school, something struck me during my junior year. I found my passion for art and I found that I could utilize the creation of works as an expressional outlet. Especially one where I could convey my feelings visually. I continued along with my newfound passion for art and obtained my BFA at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
How Much Is It Worth? / Packing the fake rice grains of Wild Rice, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia: What does "Beyond Borders" mean to you, and how does your work in this exhibition either reflect or challenge this concept?
Kiki: Beyond Borders is my first art show that has been hosted in California since I moved here in late 2020. I am extremely grateful for being able to take part in this exhibition, especially in the San Gabriel Valley where Asians are the predominant ethnicity residing in the many populated cities of California. Coming from Chicago Chinatown, moving to an unfamiliar place like Long Beach, CA has not given me many opportunities to associate with other Asian emerging artists similar to myself. I loved that I had the chance to network and be exposed to artists on this side of the country. Ever since taking up a 9-5 corporate style job, it has been a struggle to create art. However, since being part of this show, I feel reinvigorated to be able to communicate and interact with other artists, communities, and parties that were present at this exhibition.
Yearning Support, 2019, Foam bonded in sewed fabric, grommets, bendable elastics, wood 17 x 23 x 18 in, photo courtesy of artist.
Yearning Support + Yellow-White Baked performance at the Chicago Art Department in 2019, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia: Can you tell us the story behind a specific artwork from the exhibition?
Kiki: Yearning Support plays with the famous but stereotypical Asian squat pose. This term “Asian squat” comes from the common posture portrayed in the Western world which is a generalized action performed by many in the Asian population. The piece pushes to question the origin of this posture and its connection to the deep roots of this posture within the lower/middle class population. In other words to question whether this Asian squat is acceptable in today’s societal norms or if it portrays a lower socio-economic status. Yearning Support embellishes a stool with the function to caress the squatter.
Tia: How does your cultural background influence your art?
Kiki: My cultural background greatly influences my art as a proud first-generation immigrant artist. More specifically, it takes into consideration my constant navigation through the complexities of belonging somewhere and the displacement of understanding this melting pot of cultural identities that make up this country . Through my practice, I create works through materials that are applicable throughout Chinese culture and portray repetitive gestures through my performance, sculpture and site-specific installations.
Casted Away / WIP shot of Casted Away, drying of the inked wood pieces / WIP shot of Casted Away, gluing of the beads onto the legs, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia: Can you describe a challenging moment or obstacle you've encountered during your artistic journey and how you successfully overcame it?
Kiki: After graduation and my achievement of obtaining my BFA in the fall of 2019, the pandemic took my life for a ride into the unknown. I was laid off from my job at the Field Museum of Chicago in March of 2020. As a fresh graduate, not having a job was a rough time. For the first few months of unemployment, I dove straight into creating multiple works in my tiny bedroom space. I enjoyed that time of creation without the pressure and stress of having to clock in at a job, however there was a constant gnawing in the back of my mind in regards to financial stability. In addition to that, it was a constant cycle of waking up, eating, and creating until I was mentally drained and physically burnt out. So I decided it was time for a change, and what a massive change it was to journey out to Southern California in September 2020.
ABOUT OPEN CALL EXHIBITION PROGRAM
Bridge Arts Foundation's "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition Installation View, Photo: © The Scholart Selection / Luna Hao
Bridge Arts Foundation's Open Call Exhibition Program is designed to provide support for early-career artists. For its inaugural edition, the "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition has thoughtfully selected 18 talented artists from a pool of approximately 350 submissions, employing a selection process that involves art professionals. "Beyond Borders" opens from October 14th to December 31st, 2023.
ABOUT ARTIST
Kiki Zhen
Kiki Jia Qi Zhen is an interdisciplinary artist from Guangdong, China who reflects the indirect and direct experiences of immigration, trauma, memory, and storytelling in the forms and gestures of her works. In her work, she highlights inter-generational complexities that arise from being a first-generation immigrant. Her art practice comprises of performance, sculpture, and site-specific installations. Her work has been exhibited at Cleve Carney Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Woman Made Gallery, and the 5 Points Art Gallery. Alongside, her work has been featured in MAAKE MAG, Studio Visit Magazine, and EMERGENCY INDEX. She received her BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019.