We Were Seeds

Submissions for LAMINATOR Vol. 1 are now closed! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted to my new zine; I received applications from 200(!) artists, poets, and writers, the most I’ve ever gotten for anything! And my favorite part is how international this was; I have entries from so many different countries all around the world—truly living up to Artists on the Lam’s motto since 2011, “championing local artists; channeling global perspectives”.

Everyone will be notified whether they’ve been selected in… I originally said about a week or so (hopefully! it’s a lot more than I expected and I’ll try my best). Thanks in advance for your patience!

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at one of the submissions; it’s a collage called O’ The Almighty Watermelon by Nalendra Ezra a.k.a. Ejura, an artist in Indonesia.

Sign up for pre-orders of the publication here!

Call for Artists: Asian and Black Unity

(Thank you to SLAYSIAN artist Aimy Tien for the tip!) A call for art from For the People Artists Collective Chicago: “Looking for Asian artists available to create artwork around Asian and Black unity!”

Here’s their post with the details.

(Speaking of such unity, here’s some fascinating history I fell into a rabbit hole reading about.)

Also, yesterday my mom told me about Darnella Frazier, and how she’s a hero and how scary and traumatic this must’ve been for her. Darnella is the teenaged girl who filmed the murder of George Floyd. Here’s the official GoFundMe to support her.

And! Here’s a reminder from a Movement icon; may she rest in power.

In solidarity, always.

Solidarity

  

Via the International Chinese Fine Arts Council:

“The slogan ‘Yellow Peril Supports Black Power originated from protests to free Huey Newton, a co-founder of the Black Panthers. […] [This] image is a historical archive original poster from the 1960s.”

Black lives matter.

Greatest Generation

(Click for the full post.)

And one of my aforementioned friends on the front lines had this to say about the situation at her hospital, which is the situation in all hospitals across the US. We all need to do our part, and if you can, pitch in; every little bit counts. (And here’s the article she linked to; the last three paragraphs are a must-read.) The federal government is useless, so it’s up to us. All healthy hands on deck. This is wartime.

(To start, here and here are lists of donation sites for PPE.)

Lots more COVID-19 related news—including resources and ways to help, as well as light-hearted respite—on Twitter.

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First, two bits of upcoming art exhibition news (one of them a call for artists):

I am proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, I’ve been chosen to exhibit my work at the Chicago Public Library during May to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! I’ll be showing at the Coleman Branch, serving the Woodlawn, Hyde Park, and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods (last year, I was at West Chicago in Austin). Thank you, CPL!

The call: I’ve been invited to be one of the guest judges for Line Dot Editions’ 3rd Annual Open Call Group Show! It’s always a pleasure to be on their jury. Chicago and Midwest artists, apply! You can view all the details here. (Important dates: The application deadline is April 30, and the opening reception is June 21.)

At the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei.
(My parents and I traveled to Taiwan for the first time in November.)

An art review of sorts: A few weeks ago I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago to check out the new Laurie Simmons exhibit, Big Camera/Little Camera, without knowing anything about Simmons beforehand. And. Well. Here’s my two-tweet criticism of her and the exhibit. (My friend—and former Columbia classmate!—Trilbe’s responses were more eloquently put than mine.) And here’s when I learned that Simmons’ daughter is Lena Dunham, and suddenly it all made sense…

Speaking of propping up Asian women instead of whatever mess is going on in the fourth floor of the MCA and how important it is for us to tell our own stories: A couple weeks ago I went to a discussion and signing by Chinese American activist and journalist Helen Zia for her new book, Last Boat Out of Shanghai, and what a night it was. Read my Twitter thread about it (and our history, and the things we inherit, and hope) here.

Political nerdery: Holy shit, Lori Lightfoot! I voted for her in our municipal elections, which were already historic since there were 14 mayoral candidates and no clear frontrunner, and she ended up in first place! I truly thought Bill Daley was going to win. She and Toni Preckwinkle will face off in runoffs so either way, Chicago will get its first black woman mayor! And if Lightfoot wins, she’ll also be our first openly gay mayor! This is so exciting. Fellow Chicagoans, be a part of history and be sure to vote again on April 2. (Or earlier, like I will, since I’ll be out of the country.)

Social media: Yesterday I realized I have over 2,000 followers on Instagram! Thank you! (Another social media-related feat? When my childhood hero Michelle Kwan liked a tweet of mine. My literally mouth dropped.)

My top liked Instagram photos of 2018, thanks to you.

Lastly: I know posts have been sparse here lately so this is, believe it or not, the first blog post of 2019. Oops. As a year in review, here’s my Twitter thread of my highlights and favorite blog posts of 2018. Wishing you all a [very belated] very happy new year and Year of the Pig!

“I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide” [hopefully]

Specifically, a #BlueWave.

(Yes, the title’s another Gandalf quote, although this wording is from The Two Towers film instead of the book. Consider it a callback to this Fellowship of the Ring one—my favorite—from my first post- Election 2016 blog post, which I’ve been revisiting a lot lately.)

I’d like to apologize yet again for the lack of posts here. But I’m back. Only to be gone again, oops (more on that later). And, my fellow Americans, I’m telling you:

#VoteThemOut #SwingLeft #TakeBackTheHouse #Resist

Vote! I voted early a couple weeks ago, like I did in ‘16. (For the Chicagoans reading this, the folks working at the Loop Super Site were super friendly and helpful.) These midterm elections are crucial. My 10-year-old self at the Illinois State Capitol is roaring through the fabric of space and time to encourage you. And, in addition to my favorite quote linked above, I’ve been reminding myself of these words of wisdom from Angela Davis, which I’d included in my 2016 review, “Hope.”

And to serve as even more motivation, here’s another relic from 2016: my episode of Transition to Power, a political documentary by On the Real Film about the presidential election through artists’ eyes.

As for what I’ve been up to (and—more importantly—all the art I’ve experienced and seen, from my highlights and picks to my… strong opinions [and exposés] on other things) between now and the previous post (from July, I know!), I’m afraid you’ll have to scroll through my social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. My photo captions tend to be long by those formats’ standards but serve as micro blog posts in a way; read them!

And what I meant by leaving again: I’m flying out of the country today; after a pit stop in Hong Kong to visit my dad’s side of the family, I’ll be traveling in Taiwan for the first time! (It’s hard to believe that the Silk Road in Western China was a year ago.) See you later, America; make it so that I return to good news and a better you!

Wheel

I was one of the guest judges for Line Dot Editions’ open call summer group show, Hot Fun in the Summertime (this was the voting process), and it opens July 19! Come! It’s free, and all the exhibiting artists are based in Chicago and/or the Midwest; support local artists!

This photo cracks me and my parents up. Read why--and
learn more about this young monk who guided us through
Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu, China--here.

My Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month exhibit at the West Chicago Avenue Branch of the Chicago Public Library may be over, but 1) you can view those [and more of my] Silk Road photos online here and here; and 2) you should still go and explore Austin and see that the neighborhood is more than how it’s portrayed in the news.

(On the subject of my Silk Road photos, this traveling monk knew the monk who guided my parents and me at Labrang Monastery and found and commented on my photo of him yesterday! What a world.)

Spotted in my neighborhood yesterday: "The only ICE we like" by
CHema Skandal. (Also, spot the Dreams of a City postcard.)

Apologies for the lack of posts these past couple months; for the first time in 7 years, I moved! (3 blocks away from my old apartment, but still.) And this was the first thing I did in my new place. A quick round-up of some other stuff I’ve been up to that I haven’t mentioned yet: being Chinese; becoming a founding member of Block Club Chicago (support local journalism!); reminding (or educating), finding inspiration and strength; inadvertently bringing joy to a personal source of inspiration and strength; going on interactive art tours; pouring one out for Quenchers Saloon, the venue where I publicly shared, for the first time, some of the postcards from Dreams of a City; looking back at the Zeitgeist of 20 years ago through a kid’s eyes; [re-]telling my family’s refugee story; having sweet encounters at Target; and live-tweeting Westworld and getting in my feelings.

Happy summer! Read Outside Season has begun.

[Solar] Revolution

Happy New Year and Happy 2018, friends!

At Heavenly Lake / Tianchi, in the middle of Bogda Peak
of the Tianshan mountain range. Xinjiang, China, 2017.

Who else thought 2017 felt uncharacteristically long? Ever since I was 7 I felt that time passed by too quickly, with each subsequent year slipping out of my grasp as soon as I could grab ahold of it. Last year, however, felt like a thousand years in one. (Thank you, American political hellscape.) When reflecting on it on New Year’s Eve, I’d think back to an event and go, “Wait, that was this year?” (I was shocked, for instance, when I realized the City selecting my artwork to be exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center was an accomplishment I could include in my list below.) But in the national night there was always a light on, and my musing in this year-old interview (more about that later) that “Good things can still happen, and good things still do happen” turned out to be true; I had another great personal year in terms of what I achieved and with whom I shared it (you).

My highlights of 2017, in no particular order:

• The first juried exhibition I applied to as an artist I got into; my artwork was selected to be exhibited in the Chicago Cultural Center as part of the City of Chicago’s “Year of Public Art” initiative. Not bad.

• I became a published comic book artist and writer for the first time, contributing art and an original story exploring Asian American identity in the graphic novel anthology New Frontiers.

• A sketch of mine was exhibited in the Nasty Women Chicago Art Show (and I sold it, with 100% of the sale donated to Planned Parenthood).

• I had fun guest judging submissions for a show at Line Dot Editions.

• I appeared in the political documentary Transition to Power, my first time in a film.

• I started sharing the Chicago edition of Dreams of a City one mapped postcard per day, every day, online for the first time ever.

• My parents and I traveled to Western China for the first time, embarking on a Silk Road Tour.

• Things like this kept happening.

• Against all odds, hope survived, as did we.

My top liked Instagram photos of 2017, thanks to you.

You might notice that in 2017, I brought my own art back to the forefront (after producing the biggest and best interactive group show I’d ever done). As an artist who’s also a curator, I find that it’s often difficult to balance the two; when using your creativity to curate exhibitions where you showcase the talents of other artists (which I love doing), oftentimes your own art takes a backseat. This year was about focusing on creating art myself, without ignoring my love for that public interaction and advocacy. As is my nature, even “my” art is yours, like an ongoing collection of your hopes. We’re in this together.

2017 was also, of course, about the Resistance, from nationwide activism to little, personal* triumphs and acts of defiance. *(Remember how, at the end of my episode of Transition to Power last year, I answered that “I’m gonna’ keep doing what I’ve always been doing; I’m gonna’ keep showing off how badass my parents and my grandparents and my ancestors and my culture and my people are; I’m gonna’ keep championing women of color”? Know that sometimes simply living and loving—loving yourself and loving not only your heritage and those who came before you but also loving the living, those in the here and now, because cultures are more than customs—can be a victory. My pride in being a Chinese American woman is a flag flying in the face of phobia and hate. It is a raised fist, punching through ceilings that are walls.)

What were the best parts of your year? Leave a comment!

Your top 8 most read posts of 2017:

8. “New Frontiers” – My announcement that a new story of mine (including artwork by me) would be published in an original graphic novel anthology by the team behind the Asian American superhero anthology Secret Identities. 

7. “Southern Song” – My annual pre-Hong Kong art trip post. 

6. “[Your Guide to Overcoming] Expo FOMO” – My picks for what to see at Expo Art Week, including Expo Chicago and the second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (which ends this Sunday!). 

5. “City of [Ours]” – My words of gratitude after the Chicago Cultural Center Open House; it included The Subject Is Chicago: People, Places, Possibilities exhibition, for which I was chosen to represent Ward 32. 

4. “People, Places” – My announcement that I’d be sharing one mapped postcard every day at @dreamsofacity. 

3. “Possibilities” – My announcement that I’d been selected to exhibit my art at the Chicago Cultural Center. 

2. “Open Call for Artists: Line Dot Editions’ Holiday Show” – The, well, open call for artists for Line Dot’s Holiday Show, which I’d been invited to guest judge. 

1. “Power” – My episode of the political documentary Transition to Power by On the Real Film, who interviewed me about my thoughts on the 2016 election and its aftermath. This also happened to be my first post of 2017, setting the tone for the rest of the year. “Rebel scum” indeed.

Honorable mentions (posts that weren’t written in 2017 but were widely read nonetheless):

• “Love Letters: An Artist Studio Visits with Sheila Arora” and “Star Collecting: An Interview with Sheila Arora” – Features on a LEXICON participant and former client and forever friend who catapulted to fame after these posts; she now has thousands of Instagram followers and is an artist at Thomas Masters Gallery.

•  “Discussion: Art as political weapon, artist as social instigator” – From 2011 (this blog’s birth year!), a conversation that’s ever relevant.

• “Not all those who wander are lost” – My look back at 2014 (this post probably saw a resurgence thanks to the news that a Lord of the Rings prequel series is in the works).

• “Discussion: Skill vs. concept” – Another topic from 2011 that permeates everything I’ve done and continue to do (spoiler alert: to me, both are essential).

• “Hope” – A defining piece I wrote on New Year’s Eve 2016 that still resonates with readers now, especially the passage wherein I reflect on “the lows” and offer some tough love, advice, and calls to action.

Things to look forward to in 2018:

• I’m co-curating an art and poetry event.

• Throughout the year is the first Art Design Chicago. I’ll be previewing the exhibit opening on January 11; follow along on social media that day for live updates.

• Starting February 16, it’ll be the Year of the Dog!

• The fight continues:

• The Women’s March returns this month. (Here’s a link to the Chicago march on January 20.)

• The year of midterm elections has arrived; on November 6, 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats will be up for reelection. We have 10 months to prepare; get involved (canvas, donate, etc.), go vote, and let’s take back this country.

What are you excited about? Let me know!

I wish you good fortune, good health, happiness, and—above all—strength. We made it this far, and we’re still here. Keep working. Keep fighting. Keep caring. Keep doing good. Thank you for helping keep my hope alive. Onwards!

[Your Guide to Overcoming] Expo FOMO

Before I jump into this week’s festivities, here. Enjoy this photo of me being awkward at the Nasty Women Chicago Art Show in Stan Mansion. I sold my piece in it! Thank you to fellow artist Allen Vandever for buying my Safety Lights Are for Dudes drawing—100% of the sale goes to Planned Parenthood—and thank you to everyone who came!

The view from the rooftop of Ace Hotel Chicago
before attending an artist talk with Jaume Plensa.

And now: Welcome to Expo Art Week! As I said in this post, with Expo Chicago and the second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, it’s one of my favorite times of the year to be an artist in my city. Below are my picks for what to see.

Here’s a quick video I took at the private preview of Luftwerk and NRDC’s collaboration White Wanderer: A Climate Change Soundtrack, featuring the sounds of melting icebergs. It’s art that’s so relevant right now. The installation’s located at 2 N. Riverside Plaza through October 1 and will also be at Expo Chicago.

The fall art gallery season has begun, and my highlight is Chris Silva’s mesmerizing solo exhibition at Linda Warren Projects. Open Source is on view through November 4.

The Chicago Biennial pop-up exhibition SOM: Engineering x [Art + Architecture], presented by Mana Contemporary Chicago and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is on view next to Ace Hotel through January 7, 2018.

Expo Chicago’s off-site exhibition Palais de Tokyo: Singing Stones, at the DuSable Museum of African American History, is on view through October 29.

Standing, wine in hand, on a precarious wooden structure
at the VIP opening night.

Tonight I’ll be at the VIP Preview and Vernissage for Expo Chicago at Navy Pier (which will include a Soundsuit performance by Nick Cave and Jeanne Gang) and a VIP preview of a Biennial Special Project at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

In anticipation of Expo (which opens to the public tomorrow), read my previous interviews with its affable Director and President, Tony Karman, from when we sat down and chatted before and after the fair’s inaugural and sophomore editions. I particularly love his career advice to young artists and arts professionals in our 2013 conversation.

I’m bummed that I’ll be missing the opening of the Biennial’s main exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center (I’ll be on a plane* during the preview), but—luckily—the Biennial runs through January 7, 2018, so there’ll be plenty of time to take it all in once I’m back.

*Tomorrow morning I’m flying out to Western China for a Silk Road Tour! The trip isn’t art-related so I probably (we’ll see) won’t be using a VPN like I did 5 years ago during my Beijing and Shanghai adventure (which is how I wrote “Midwesterner in the Middle Kingdom” back then), so I’ll likely be MIA online until the end of the month. See you then!

Until then, don’t forget: I have a call for artists!

And lastly: I’ve been featured on The T in STEM! Thank you!

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[Pre-flight (and sleep-deprived) edits/updates because I want to share my happiness from last night with you:

Loved the VIP Preview of the Chicago Architecture Biennial’s L’air pour l’air performance by SO-IL and Ana Prvački at Garfield Park Conservatory so much. From their artist statement, it’s a call for “change through beauty.” Thank you for letting me experience this!

And THE BEST PART OF EXPO CHICAGO’S VERNISSAGE! I was entranced by [and whooped along with] Nick Cave’s Up Right Chicago Performance in Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom. I’ve uploaded a million temporary (they’ll disappear around midnight, literally) videos to my Instagram stories (in the app, tap on my avatar).

Here’s a schedule of future performances and programming.]

Lines

I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be the guest judge for Line Dot Editions’ holiday show! The open call for artists (and more details) will go out next week, with all submissions to be received by October 1. The opening reception’s Friday, November 17, and the exhibition will run through the end of December. Thank you, Patrick Hull of Vertical Gallery!

As summer's end draws near, Flashback Friday to the summer solstice.

(I’ve updated the Exhibitions page, which has become a bit of a CV of sorts.)

Speaking of exhibitions, a reminder: I’ll have artwork in the Nasty Women Chicago Art Show next Friday, September 8, 5:30-10:30pm, at Stan Mansion. 100% of funds raised will be donated to Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.

While we’re on the subject of the Resistance: Thank you, Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes and Tempestt Hazel / Sixty Inches From Center for re-sharing my video with On The Real Film! Love you ladies.

While we’re on the subject of… film? Some of the things I said in the above episode? A PSA: Go see Birth of the Dragon; it stars my cousin Philip Ng as Bruce Lee! My parents went last weekend and were so amazed that he’s in a film that’s being shown in the US. Support Asians and Asian Americans in Hollywood movies, woo!

Tintype of me by Jen Jansen Photography. (Taken at this
event.) Also, I didn't realize this was a mirror image
until I noticed the placement of my moles.

Hope you all had a splendid August. My highlights, both personal and public, included: the solar eclipse, my birthday (thank you so much to everyone who came—my heart [and stomach] was so full—and thank you for all the birthday wishes), and the Floating Museum, which has since left the Chicago River (the linked photo) and is currently being installed at Navy Pier.

And with that: Happy September! With Expo Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Biennial coming up, it’s one of my favorite times of the year to be an artist in this city. Stay tuned for my previews!

(Art you can check out right now: I CAN DO THAT artist and birthday twin Nathan “Bam” Stanton is painting a mural at Harris Theater in Millennium Park! He’ll be there until 6pm today if you’d like to catch him in action.)

Stop! Gimme a beat

I’m proud to announce that my artwork will be exhibited in the Nasty Women Chicago Art Show! 100% of proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood. The fundraiser’s Friday, September 8, 5:30-10:30pm, at Stan Mansion. Thank you, Nasty Women Chicago! Resist and persist!

At the Chicago Picasso 50th Anniversary celebration
with Su Zhou (one of the artists in LEXICON) yesterday.

It was so good coming across a Galerie F (my neighborhood* gallery) pop-up and running into owner Billy Craven yesterday! What a pleasant surprise. For the non- Logan Square folks, check it out if you’re in the Loop; the shop’s in Block 37.

*(God I love my neighborhood.)

And:

A comment left on @dreamsofacity.

Thank you so much for your kind words, Frank!

Happy Leo season, friends. A certain special day is approaching (cough, August 17, cough), and I’d love for you to celebrate with me if you’re around. Until then: Here, have a photo of me on the Iron Throne.

Can you tell me how to get

Artists, take charge of your own historical narrative! Submit your ephemera to the Chicago Artist Files at the Harold Washington Library; refer to the last paragraph on this page for details. I started a file of my own at Sixty Inches From Center’s Chicago Archives + Artists Festival this past Sunday, which was, well, amazing. (Here’s another [completely unrelated] reason why Sunday ruled.)

And:

As I’d mentioned in this caption, although I was born in Chicago, I’m actually ESL; Cantonese is technically my first language and I picked up Toishanese listening to my maternal grandpa. I taught myself English as a baby by watching Sesame Street on WTTW, the local PBS station. PBS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, one of about a dozen agencies (along with the NEA and NEH) that will be eliminated under the proposed Trump Budget. These programs literally change lives. In my case, they start them. #Resist.

People, Places

I went and checked out the exhibition I was selected for, and only a fraction of my postcards are on display and you’re unable to see both sides (I envisioned them suspended from the ceiling, with visitors able to touch and handle each one), heh. (Not ungrateful, by the way; I’m still so honored to be exhibiting at the Chicago Cultural Center, and I’m proud to be the artist chosen to represent Chicago’s 32nd ward in this show! Thank you, again, to those who gave me this opportunity.)

I want you guys to be able to see all 355 cards. So I’m sharing 1 every day at my new Instagram account, @dreamsofacity. Follow along!

Scanned, protected, and matched the dates and locations of 355 postcards
I got back over the past 4 1/2 years.
You're looking at the hopes and dreams of a city.

(More about Dreams of a City, my ongoing large-scale interactive public art / mapping project, including scans of all cards in the 2008 New York City edition, at this old page.)

In other Chicago news: The Field Museum is free for IL residents all February! (I applaud them for releasing a statement against the Muslim ban.)

(I also applaud the National Park Service for going rogue. Especially [mostly?] because I’ve been wearing their gear I won from their Centennial Project, like, every other day for the past year.)

Also, apparently On The Real Film made a print of what I said in my episode of their political documentary Transition to Power! All profits from sales of the poster will go to the good cause of your choice.

Hope everyone had a lovely Chinese New Year! (Here are a couple glimpses into mine.) May your Year of the Rooster be filled with love, prosperity, and #resistance.