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femmesfollesnebraska · 5 years

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Artist Feature: Holly Wong

Thrilled to feature this q-and-a with artist Holly Wong...

1. Where are you from?

I am from North Miami Beach Florida which is a diverse suburban community within the broader Miami, Dade County.

“Mind/Forest II” 2018, Polyester tulle, thread, duralene plastic, plastic rope, cotton gauze, origami paper, and monofilament wire, 20’L x 15’D x 14’H.

2. How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating?

Like many children, I had a passion for drawing when I was growing up and I developed an ability and love for art making at an early age. Miami was experimenting at the time with arts magnet educational programs in the 1980’s and I had the benefit of attending a number of arts high schools that helped me focus my interest in art making as a life path. Alongside of this, my mother taught me a great deal about sewing and in general, making things with fabric and other types of materials; I developed a confidence in sewing later in life as a result of this.

3. Tell me about your current/upcoming show/exhibit/book/project and why it’s important to you.

I currently am preparing for two exhibitions. The first is participating in the A.I.R. Gallery National Members exhibit in Brooklyn, New York from May 23, 2019-June 22, 2019. I will be showing a series of four water colors on paper that have been burned with candle smoke. The imagery in this series has a patterned and dream-like reference, layered with the candle smoke which blurs and obfuscates the images. It is a metaphor for memory and how our understanding of history changes with the passage of time. The second exhibition is a solo show at the Evanston Art Center in Illinois from July 14, 2019-August 11, 2019. This exhibit is titled “Silent Music” and consists of several large fiber-based installations on the walls as well as suspended pieces in front of a large window which speak to the nature of psychological states and the visual movement of thought. I utilize ephemeral materials such as polyester tulle, thread and dichroic film to describe a state of both absence and presence. “Silent Music” is about trying to find a center of stillness in a deeply conflicted world.

“Silent Music I”, 18’W x 8’H x 2’D, Dichroic film, vinyl table cloth, plastic bags, gold foil, hand-painted vellum, and thread, 2019.

4. What do you hope people get out of your work?

This is always a really great question because people’s responses to a piece of art work are not only the function of the work itself but also the lens of their own psychology and personal experience. I do hope that my work gives a feeling of peace and an opportunity for self-reflection. In some ways, my work is an invitation to enter a psychological space free of judgment or preconception. I want people to have a primary experience in viewing my work and to feel awareness that despite our casting of reality in one way or another, impermanence is the constant.

5. Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others? How so and how does this impact your work?

I would say that at this point, my work to date has entirely been constructed by my own hands and I take a particular joy from literally the hundreds of hours of sewing involved. It is a meditation in itself. I do hope at some point to do larger public works and I realize to scale up, I will need to trust and involve others. I have been invited to participate in a collaborative project with other artists as a part of an application to the Canadian World of Threads 2021 festival which will be my first collaborative activity. I really appreciate Hana Rotchild’s invitation and her work is wonderful. (See more at @hanarotchild)

6. Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

I think there are many climates in the arts environment because it is such a complex ecosystem and it is hard to describe it monolithically. That said, I do see trends; there is a new focus on art that has a quality of social practice/social engagement and also a focus on highlighting artists of color which is incredibly encouraging. It has also been great to see artists creating their own opportunities for themselves by launching collectives and defining exhibition venues for themselves. These are very positive things. I think the market place still ultimately drives what is talked about or shown in some major museums but it is changing as more people of color become curators and start to be a part of the conversation that they were never a part of previously. I don’t think any of these things happened because it was “given to people”. It was the result of many years of fighting and advocacy and if there was something that I wish could change, I would say that the art world needs to continue to expand to include more voices and to institutionalize the notion of inclusiveness vs. an occasional give away when it is politically advantageous.

“Emerge ”, 11”W x 12”H, Plastic, dichroic film, vinyl lace tablecloth, painted vellum, polyester tulle and thread, 2019

7. Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work?

I would not describe my work as explicitly feminist per se because the impetus of my work is my study of Zen Buddhism and the notion of creating a visual environment of formlessness and nondiscrimination. However, I use fabric and sewing practices as a major component of my work and can often be cast as “other” because I am working in ephemeral materials that are the domain of domestic activity. Because I am a middle-aged woman, I have experienced some inequities as many of my generation have whether in the workplace or elsewhere. Thus by definition, I am a feminist because I believe firmly in the full emancipation of my gender. Feminism is 100% still relevant because many women, especially disadvantaged women of color, are not free or able to participate in their own self-determination. It is true that my artwork does not explicitly speak to these issues but its presence outside the white cube is a feminist action in of itself.

8. Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.” What is your favorite advice you have received or given?

I love Ewing’s advice and it really resonates with me. My husband, Al Wong, a highly accomplished San Francisco Bay Area artist and educator, gave me the best advice one day. I was feeling deeply uncertain about the nature of my imagery, its value or relevance. He said to me: “You must be your own Charlie Parker.” (For readers new to jazz, Charlie Parker was a legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer living during the first half of the 20th century). My husband encourages me to follow my artist path exactly as my instincts are telling me to do and not to copy anyone in order to be accepted. His fierce belief in me even at times when I did not see it in myself was ultimately transformational for me.

Holly Wong in her studio, photo by Al Wong.

https://hollywongart.com/

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins. LFF Booksis a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017).Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Current call for collaborative art-writing: http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/181376606692/lff-2019-artistpoet-collaborations

Current call: What does being a womxn mean to you? http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/183697785757/what-does-being-a-womxn-today-mean-to-youyour

#holly wong #contemporary art #womenartists #feministart

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