Nobody's Home

Artist Statement

For this assignment I decides to keep things simply and simply explore what’s been on my mind lately. I’ve been thinking about childhood memories that are a mix of happy and unhappy memories. One’s childhood is a time for development, and when bad things happen during your childhood, that’ll affect your development. This idea of these memories both making us who we are and also just constantly on our minds is something I wanted to focus on for this project.

To express this idea, I had a teddy bear represent these memories. It supposed to seem sinister or up to no good and docile at the same time. I wake up from a dream, eat breakfast, take some pills, and go back to sleep. At the same time this bear seems to always be there.

Personal Notes

I’m not too happy with this project. I like this concept but I limited myself because of my lack of time. I hope to revisit this work one day.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/COeVF-DDTcs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Final Project/Artists’ Statement

Hello my peers, here is my coworker Cindy coming in clutch with another contemporary dance for us. 

A Fucking Distraction (2021)

Artist Statement:

When I was a kid my mom taught me how to fold origami cranes that she calls swooses - I have no idea where she got that from, apparently it is the word for a goose/swan hybrid. Regardless, I remember I was so excited when she pinched the paper bird’s chest and pulled on it’s tail, causing the wings to flap. It wasn’t long after that I was mass producing these swooses at an alarming rate so that I could ensure each of my elementary school classmates could share in the joy they brought me. It didn’t really occur to me until recently that my practice in ceramics has reconnected me with that part of my inner child. I find it so very exciting to be able to create objects that bring others as much joy as they bring to me. I feel so incredibly lucky and grateful that I this is what I am able to do with my life.

For this project I knew I wanted to find a way that I could allow others to channel their creativity into something that was interactive. When I was first brainstorming for ideas, I thought about one of my favorite works of all time - Yayoi Kusama’s Obliteration Room. She created truly such an ingenious way of allowing the work to evolve through the creative participation of those who were lucky enough to walk through the installation. I wondered about how something similar could be accomplished in the art building, but felt that there was no way I could accomplish a similar visual effect given the reduced amount of students with in person classes this semester. My friend Serei suggested that I should try to find a way to minimize the space that participants could interact with if there weren’t very many of them. So I settled on interactive canvases. In the hallway of the art building I hung three canvases and provided participants with a plethora of the most exciting/nostalgic children’s art supplies that I could afford. Although I attempted to steer the theme in the direction of “unleash your inner child on these canvases”, I really just wanted to see how people would interact with the canvases in general. Honestly, I don’t think I could have asked for a better result. People were vulnerable, supportive, whimsical, and creative with their participation. It truly has brought me so much joy, and I hope that it has at least brought a little to the participants. 

I will be leaving them up in the hallway for as long as I possibly can so if any of y’all walk by in the hallway, please feel free to interact how you please! Thank you so so much to everyone who has participated. 

Project 4

Artist‘s Statement I love food, and sometimes process of making something you like is therapeutic.  My mom makes very simple version of (Mongolian) pig in a blanket and they taste like heaven.  My kids usually dig out most of the piggies and me and my mom are left with the blankets.  While making pig in a blanket, I get to bond with my mom.  We talk about old things, new things, fun things, and perhaps little gossip.  Sometimes it even helps to think over things, make some plans, meditate, and just relax.

The anxiousness of waiting for the food, the smell, the final look of the product, they all can be very overwhelming yet so satisfying.  Have you ever thought you made something not too good looking or not too good tasting, but ends up tasting amazing and looks just as awesome?  That’s what my mom felt making this particular piggies (since I’m hoovering over to take pictures).  And, how can I forget the most important people and their produces.  Here is Raheem and Reina with blankets for their piggies...

P.s this is a raw footage of the process, so please don’t mind the background noise.

Artist statement:

For this project, I wanted to explore themes of intimacy, relationships, and connection. I was inspired by a documentary I watched recently on chimpanzees. The documentary discussed how they groom each other to build relationships. As I watched them gently and meticulously groom each other, I was touched by the tenderness and I was reminded of my relationship with my partner, and the relationships of so many of others. Like chimpanzees, we humans often groom each other as an act of love, whether it’s familial, platonic or romantic. My partner and I often do each other’s skincare routine at the end of a long day as an act of love and service. Like the chimpanzees, It’s these small acts and others like it that have kept us connected over the past 8 years. So for this performance, I filmed us doing our usual face routine. Through this performance, my partner and I highlight the less visible parts of intimacy through our grooming, silence, laughter, and of course, cringiness. As a by product of our Christian based patriarchy, we are often told that intimacy is found through sex, but intimacy is multifaceted, existing in so many different spaces, and within so many different acts.

https://youtu.be/dBy5mycu9D0

For me, I am very drawn to simplistic forms of relaxing and art making. I enjoy allowing myself to wonder aimlessly as I talk, watch, listen and more on a piece of paper and see what comes to life afterwards. For participation, I enlisted the help of my partner, who finds himself sometimes getting agitated at the fact that he is not “good” at art. With that in mind, I made sure to explain that the watercolors that we were doing were just for fun. We enjoyed ourselves as we soaked up the sun, laughed, listened to music, and talked about the latest family drama. He, and myself were lost in the moment and in pure enjoyment of each others company while playing out narratives or meaningless shapes on a canvas. It was fun to watch the person that I love come to life as he created a story of “Zeus smiting people” as he put it… The act of participation no matter how big or how small can make a lasting and enjoyable impact on the ones that we love the most. It was an experience that we both enjoyed as we could be in the moment and create silly art that had no rhyme or reason other than for the pure intentions of it being fun and wholesome. 

I can wear makeup out in public with less concern what others think. I can put on a ridiculous amount of eyeliner and eyeshadow, but still feel somewhat confident. Feeling insecure in public happens, but it’s at home when I feel the worst. Something about my family seeing me with my face full of makeup that creates this strong sense of guilt and embarrassment. I displayed this in the last project, but wanted to take it a step further in this one, and face this fear. I had my mother in the room as I applied lipstick. As I did this I talked about this guilt and embarrassment I feel. I began shivering and I struggled to say my words. I knew I was scared, but the feeling was a lot more intense than I imagined.

I then asked her to simply respond to what I did. She questioned why I apply makeup on me, and if there’s a message I was trying to send with it. The only thing I responded  was that it just brought me joy. Although the conversation turned into a little religious lecture, it did end on a positive note. She basically stated that I should do what makes me feel comfortable in my appearance. I’m unsure how to feel after this project.