Artist Statement

I use Chinese exports– silk, tea and porcelain primarily in my work to address the complex relationship between consumerism, colonization and cultural hybridity, as they originated in the East and were popularized in the West through trading and British colonization. I consider these materials being a part of my identity, given that I was born and raised in Hong Kong. The composition of the work is generated from a Chinese input method called Sucheng, in which each Chinese character is paired with an alphabet, to address the idea of code-switching. The interaction of the materials carries out actions; and I use these actions along with the materials as symbols to represent the interaction between the two languages/cultures. By making 26 hybrid objects with these specific materials and in the Sucheng system, I see my work as a way to create a visual manifestation of the hybridity in my identity and in my language.

About the Artist

Cindy Leung calls many places home. Home is a borrowed place on borrowed time for her. Based on this experience, her work focuses on the exchange of languages in a post-colonial setting. By making hybrid objects out of Chinese exports– silk, tea and porcelain, she sees her work as a way to create a visual manifestation of the hybridity in her culture and languages.

Leung holds an MFA in Ceramics from University of Florida and a BFA from Queens College, CUNY. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China, the Crocker Art Museum in California, and the Morean Art Center in Florida. Her upcoming solo exhibition will be at Gallery 456 in New York. For more details, please visit www.cindyclsy.com.