2021 Studio Art Thesis Exhibition
21 May 2021
5:00 to 7:00 pm
Johnson Memorial Building
Pit and Mezzanine
Exhibition Statement:
Nostalgia Ultra aims to concretize nostalgia and render the abstract sentiment into a tangible form. This project contends with identity, in particular, contentious identities, ones suspended in between cultures, and explores their on-going negotiations with belonging and validity. The artist collects and incorporates materials into her print-making and collaging processes. They range from random objects, such as packaging material and fabric scraps, to objects that possess more sentimental value. The latter include recurring materials and/or symbols throughout the artist’s life, such as netted mandarin bags and the McDonald’s symbol. In doing so, the artist is able to bring dimension and texture to her work, and more importantly, link tangible materiality to the intangible sentiments the project aims to concretize.
About the Artist:
Jenny Tan grew up in Oakland, California. Jenny She received her BA from Middlebury College. She cares about community building, political education, and creative engagement.
Sibling
36 in x 48 inCollage of monoprints, acrylic paint, dried mandarin peels, mandarin bags, and red envelopes on canvas
Drawing on recurring symbols and spaces from the artist’s urban upbringing—basketball hoops and recreational centers— this project also looks at how socioeconomic and environmental factors shape identity. The background is a combination of elements extracted from Lincoln Park, located in Oakland, California, and pieced together to form one cohesive setting. In extracting specific elements–such as Oakland’s famous paper trash cans and the Tribune tower—the artist creates a fake environment that conveys the “pinnacle of nostalgia”.
All The Places I Visited
A5 ZineDigital prints binded together with thread, distorted and hung from the ceiling
A visual diary that draws from the artist’s experiences abroad. It engages with the fluidity of identity, how out-of-context perceptions can affect an individual’s own notion of self and the grappling one must subsequently do. The artist approaches design with intentionality—elements that are illegible and chaotic point to the artist’s struggle with vulnerability and her floating in between what to reveal and conceal. This tension motivates the ways in which the installation is obscured, rendering the audience unable to fully “access” its content.
Click here to view the PDF.
You’re Happy So I’m Happy
24in x 26 inCollage of monoprint and fabric scraps stiched on canvas
The piece pays homage to the “Diva of Asia”—Faye Wong—and calls attention to the influential role media has in shaping our relationship with social and ethnic culture. In particular, how does this relationship and the forms of media we engage with shape our feelings of belonging or otherness.
