Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Jade Wong.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in a suburb of Seattle called Bellevue, Washington. My mother immigrated from Taiwan to Seattle in the 80s, and worked primarily in the restaurant industry, eventually opening her own Taiwanese restaurant in the mid-2000s. The scents and smells of Chinese and Taiwanese cooking filled my small world—broths bubbling away in extra-large pots, metal spatulas knocking against scorching hot woks, accompanied by the hollow roar of intense flames that you could feel from across the kitchen. The environment of the restaurant always had a frenetic air that was exciting, overwhelming, and chaotic. Ultimately, that restaurant is my home. I spent a large chunk of my childhood there, and it was only after I moved to Chicago to study at SAIC that I began to understand the impact of immigration and food culture on my own identity and practice. I am still fumbling around, trying to learn and unravel family histories to better understand the cross-cultural and intergenerational family dynamics present in my life.
Please tell us about your art.
Primarily, I’m a video artist and filmmaker, with performance and object-making intertwined in my practice. I play with the suspension of disbelief, producing videos and objects that reside in the mundane and fantasy. My work reflects on experiences of cultural fragmentation, trauma, and dissociation. I often use the hyper-personal as a means to complicate the narratives associated with my body, rather than attempting to capture any absolutes related to being Asian-American, queer or having a mental illness. With an inclination towards imagery grounded in the corporeal, physical, tactile, and domestic, I transcend my body through the screen as a form of resistance. Sometimes, I get stuck.
I’m currently finishing a short, auto-ethnographic film that explores the intersections of queerness, food, eroticism, pleasure, and lack thereof. The film contemplates this transcendence of the body while continually revisiting the complexities of food as mundane, necessary, nostalgic, and a representation of culture. The film will be finished in the next couple of months.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
As someone who seeks a lot of alone time, I find that connecting and maintaining networks can be difficult. Show up to community organized events, show openings, screenings, etc.
Talk to people, listen, and share your work on social media and in person, if possible. Share your work and yourself with your friends, strangers, and acquaintances. Be consistently active when you can, but also know when you need to take time for yourself to regenerate!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I currently exist on the internet at clairejadewong.net and on Instagram (@claireb0ng), which are both updated from time to time. Once my current project is finished, I will keep my social media/website updated with screenings and events to watch the film. I’m also very open to sending private links to any videos that can’t be fully accessed online.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://clairejadewong.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claireb0ng/
Image Credit:
Claire Jade Wong
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