About

Alison Ho is an emerging artist whose work captures a portrait of language. Originally from Campbell, California, she is currently based in Santa Barbara. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Art at the University of California Santa Barbara as a Regents Special Fellow. In June 2010, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Oregon and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Arts. In her spare time, she travels the world battling foes and learning valuable lessons of friendship.

Artist Statement

Someone once told me that to successfully be both American and Chinese, a person should pick the best attributes of both cultures and go with that combination. However, I do not believe people’s cultural identities can be merely picked and chosen.

My work currently deals with the notion of liminality, living on the threshold of two cultures, and the perceptions that result. I examine the results of being pulled in two different cultural directions, and my ultimate exclusion from being fully immersed in either one. I see that my life is a series of performances. Who I am in a given setting depends on what role I am currently playing: the daughter, the sister, the graduate student, or the friend, among others.

As an Asian-American, my cultural identity is infused into the work that I make. I believe the ability to use my personal narrative and experiences enhances the work. I would like to make the personal universal by making it so that there is an entry point of understanding for people who are not Asian-American.

In my current practice I use vinyl, bookmaking, video, food, and performance to dissect notions of racial and cultural identity. Primarily, I am approaching this subject through an examination of language, looking at the words people use to try and uncover those that they have left unsaid. By capturing this tension, which inevitably seeps into other facets of our culture, I hope to capture a portrait of language.