About
Artist Statement
I think in chunks. My ideal communication comes in bullet points, lists, and mind blobs. It makes no sense to give an elusive, drawn-out explanation for a succinct, crisp idea. I am interested in the nuances of language and the space that language occupies in culture. The work of Xu Bing, Bruce Nauman, Glenn Ligon, Edward Ruscha, and Ferdinand de Saussure influence both the conceptual ideas and aesthetics of my art.
More importantly, I am most influenced by the experiences and interactions I have with people. The most poignant example in my own life is a family dinner. All at once, family members will talk to each other in Taiwanese, address the waiters in Cantonese, discuss money (and other private affairs) in Thai, and then attempt to include the kids in English, as a good-natured gesture. Despite the intentions, I often feel confused, awkward, and overwhelmed by the multitude of inaccessible conversation swirling around me even though these are my family members. I find that cross-cultural communication is the epitome of complex systems meeting head-on and am intrigued by what happens when language fails. Even more interesting, though, are the spaces where language does not fit and the deep emotions still conveyed when no one is speaking. Words do convey feelings, but a lack of words can speak volumes about tension, awkwardness, sadness, and anger better than words ever could. Without a carefully crafted language, our communication would solely rely on these nonverbal cues. What void might possibly exist if language did not? We live in a world where straightforward phrases guide our everyday lives.
But singled out, placed with other keywords and out of context, text alone can serve as a powerful catalyst.
In short, my work attempts to capture a portrait of language. I search for what language looks, feels, and sounds like by removing extraneous factors that clutter its essence.