20 x 20 inch
gouache, acrylic, and oil on canvas
Installation Shot: “Meandering North” at Ohio State University Hopkins Hall Gallery, 2023
78 x 216 x 10 inches
mountains, clouds, and moon (Chen Peng) - porcelain, stoneware, glaze, watercolor, and wood
weaving (Meagan Smith) - hand-dyed cotton, hand-woven on TC2 loom
This installation draws inspiration from our personal encounters happening within idyllic and mystical landscapes, where abstraction and representation collaborate to form still moments and meandering paths. We invite viewers to embark on a vibrant sensory journey of traveling through mountain ranges and swift movements of air or water to enter these immersive dream-like states. The fusion of these elements creates a harmonious blend that fosters a renewed appreciation for the interconnections between humanity and the natural world.
Photo credit: Yiyun Chen
Digitally printed mural from digital painting, installation size 376.5”x124.74”. Installed in Cleveland Public Square, Summer 2023.
“There, There” is inspired by the new craft I picked up during pandemic - sewing. In the painting, a cute and puffy cloud, rendered in Trompe ‘l’oeil style, is offering consolation to a “real” cloud which seems to be sad. Two clouds exist in the same picture plane, under the same sky, and yet they seem to belong to different worlds. Each world offers a certain degree of reality. I am interested in the relationship between these worlds, and how it generates a sense of humor and possibilities for dialogue when they collide. In my work, I often use the sky as a backdrop to create a dream-like environment. I try to remember and reconnect with the mindset of painting as a child. I always think of the sky as a refuge for the mind. It contains hopes, dreams, and memories. Floating in the middle of the sky, the images and objects in my paintings become a portal to tenderness.
This project is made possible by LANDFORM - a public art program developed and managed by local non-profit LAND studio, brings temporary artworks to downtown Cleveland. Projects varying in scale and media are created by diverse local, regional, and international artists. The LANDFORM art wall features a rotating gallery of murals by local artists on the back of the café on Public Square. Thank you to the John P. Murphy Foundation and The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation for their continued support of public art in Cleveland. To learn more about this and other exciting projects, visit LAND-studio.org. #landformCLE
Photo Credit (1 and 3): Bob Perkoski
Little Universe (2021 - 2022)
I use images of my dog and objects I treasure to create fantastical paintings that explore loss, longing, and the wish to feel grounded as an expatriate. I paint what I’m deeply connected to, both practically and sentimentally, ranging from my trustworthy drill, a kitschy thrift-store sweater, to a doodle of my dog that I framed and hung in my apartment. I take every object to my studio and paint from life, trying to capture the warmth within it. Sometimes, the object itself occupies the entire painting and becomes the painting. Other times, I erase its original surroundings and create an imagined space for the object to live in. There are one or more distinct borders or frames within each painting, creating multiple worlds. I use specific modes of painting to differentiate these worlds, where sometimes flatness, Trompe ‘l'oeil, and thickly applied paint co-exist. Each world offers a certain degree of truth or references to the reality. I am interested in the relationship between these worlds, and how it generates a sense of humor when they collide.
D-O-G, G-O-D (2022)
In memory of Sasa.
