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Artist Profile

Michelle Chan

Studio Resident (2019-2021)

Fiber, Mixed Media, Textiles
Statement of Work

Growing up, I have felt like a perpetual foreigner both in the United States and towards my Chinese heritage; with the expectation of only representing one or the other. Since childhood, I have collected toys and objects to navigate through my cultural experiences. My practice explores the relationship between American and Chinese consumerism through the use of found objects, mixed media , inflatables and fiber processes. I recreate popular consumer objects such as toys or snack foods on an exaggerated scale to show the blurring of identity through culture and labor practices. Inflatables are of particular interest since they evoke connotations of celebration and advertising, while carrying a sense of loss and fragility through the transience of inflation and deflation. I seek to understand my place and voice within the Chinese diaspora, hoping to highlight the stories of those who came before me and those currently struggling with belonging.

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