Kiki Zhen
“I find myself creating an attachment to items that find themselves into my possession and are later deployed in my creative process."
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? Where did you study?
I was born in Guangdong, China and immigrated to Chicago, IL with my parents at the age of five. As the first-born in an immigrant household; I grew up navigating, translating, and adapting to the clash of cultures in the U.S. throughout my life. Luckily, my parents were not strict with my career path, so I attended University of Illinois-Chicago and obtained my BFA in the fall of 2019. Fast forward, during the pandemic I was left jobless and struggled to stay financially stable. So, I took a massive leap and left the Windy City mid-2020 and took a chance to search for a new career in Long Beach, California.
Being a first-generation immigrant, you've mentioned exploring the complexities of intergenerational experiences and the sense of belonging and displacement. Can you discuss how your art serves as a medium for you to navigate these complex emotions and bridge the gap between cultural identities?
Being a first-generation immigrant constantly puts me in a space of feeling culturally displaced. On top of that, I am the first born of four children to immigrant parents that are deeply embedded in Chinese culture. Due to this, I am constantly becoming their translator as our family navigates this melting pot of 'American' cultures and traditions. This constant feeling of stress and turmoil provides inspiration within me that allows me to shuffle through the familiar and unfamiliar materials that I interact with.
Your work delves into themes of immigration, trauma, memory, and storytelling, often using materials with cultural significance in Chinese culture. Could you share a specific piece or project where you felt these themes were particularly resonant, and how did it come to life through your chosen medium?
A piece that resonates strongly with the themes mentioned would have to be kin-kin. This piece was constructed using multiple plastic tarp tote bags of various colors woven together. This bag is highly recognizable and very commonly found in Asian communities as well as other immigrant communities. They are highly functional as well as being made from both malleable and durable material. The usage of this bag gives off a feeling that is both practical and casual, in this way it is a staple when it comes to any form of global migration. In addition to that, this piece brings me back to a time when I found a photo of my parents and I. We had our picture taken as we were waiting at the airport in China; right before boarding our flight to America. In these pictures, there were these bags, filled with all of our belongings. Symbolizing in a way the trust we had in these bags and its durability to hold us and our belongings together.
Hold It Right!, 2020
The Way Forward, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, 2022
Potty Trained, 2020
Your work explores the duality of belonging and displacement. Can you elaborate on the creative processes or techniques you employ to convey these simultaneous experiences in your art, aside from the immigrant narrative? Let's start with stating that my mother is a strong catalyst of inspiration when it comes to breaking down my creative process. I have learned to love sewing and implementing a plethora of fabric types; which is translated into my work thanks to my mother working in a fabric factory. Sewing and the usage of a platitude of fabrics play a large part in my performative and wearable pieces (i.e, Yellow-White Baked and Blurred). I consider myself self-taught , however my mother must have played a part in my growth as an artist and the sewing techniques I utilize. In addition to that, I have to admit I have a slight tendency to hoard material. I find myself creating an attachment to items that find themselves into my possession and are later deployed in my creative process.
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day / studio routine? What is your studio like?
The beginning of my day/studio routine must start with a cup of Dunkin' coffee and the blasting of Hong Kong TV dramas as background noise. However, since I now am employed at a 9-5 job, finding the time to create is a bit rough. My studio time now consists of a few hours each day after my daily commute from work. Plus what I consider my "golden hour", which is my weekend of freedom from work to process and plan projects. As for my studio space, I have never had what artists would consider a typical studio. Ever since graduation in 2019, my studio would be my tiny bedroom back in Chicago. Most would probably feel extremely cramped and restricted, but for me, I have adapted and actually learned to enjoy the small space as well as working on the floor. Nowadays since migrating over to California, my studio space is once again within my bedroom. This time the space is shared with my partner, which includes two IKEA desks, our bed, and whatever floor space that I can utilize and lay out my work. As for documenting, I have to get a bit creative by utilizing the parking structure and other wings of the building that I reside in.
The Way Forward, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, 2022
Yellow White Baked, 2019
Yearning Support, 2019
kin-kin, 2019
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
Lucky Family 2, 3, and 4 by Yang Zhenzhong at the Hammer Museum this spring really resonated with me and left a lasting impression. The prints were captivating, and portrayed a family of chickens that gradually grew in number in each individual shot. This represents the retired one-child policy that China was known for back in the day, but nowadays families are allowed to have multiple children and fulfill the stereotype of having a son. The lasting impression I mentioned was one that emerged since my parents continued to have children until they finally had my youngest brother.
Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
I am thrilled to be part of the group show at The Scholart Selection next month in the San Gabriel Valley area. In addition to that, for the past year, I have been working on a project involving seat cushions that evolved from another one of my pieces, Potty-trained. So far, this series features drawings that convey shapes that reflect the stagnant motion of bodily postures.
All images are courtesy of the artist
Date of publication: 16/10/2023
