Art & Life with Sijia Chen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sijia Chen.

Sijia, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve been always a dreamer. My parents are creative people, and they encouraged me at a young age to explore and find an outlet to express my creative voice. I studied calligraphy, painting, music, and dance during my childhood, but eventually I realized that my dream was to be a visual artist.

Being a young contemporary artist in China presented its own set of unique challenges. In my hometown, there is an emphasis in the local community on preservation of tradition and social norms. It was difficult to find a readily accessible source of modern contemporary art in my hometown, as traditional Chinese painting was widely practiced, but modern contemporary art was still a foreign concept. Young women were expected to focus on starting a family rather than their pursuing their goals and careers. But I never hesitated or wavered in my commitment, despite the outside values and influences that I felt growing up. Ultimately, I knew I needed to uproot and challenge myself. I was 16 when I made the decision to move away from home so that I could live and study in an environment that provided the resources for my continued growth and maturation.

I knew I needed to keep challenging myself and leave my comfort zone. I decided to move to America and attend Tyler School of Art at Temple University and Philadelphia for my MFA. After graduating, I wanted a change of pace and setting, and I moved to Los Angeles. Despite not knowing anyone, LA instantly felt like home, with its diverse artist community and its multicultural makeup, not to mention the warm weather.

I now reside and work in LA, but I also spend a few months every year in China. I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to live and work both here and abroad. The contrast in cultural values and norms between the U.S. and China is a source of inspiration for my art, and this bicountry lifestyle allows me to work on projects and collaborate with local artists from both countries.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My work is intended to intrigue and challenge my viewers to have a dialogue with themselves, while also being a deeply personal and at times intimate catalogue of artistic voice. My earlier works were predominantly paintings and photographic works, and in addition to depicting past events of personal significance, touched on broader issues including religion, love, and social change. I like to incorporate elements from abstract and other modern art design languages and utilize a wide spectrum of color to express my viewpoint. My works can vary greatly in size and scope, I’ve created works that occupied an entire wall in an exhibition.

Sculpture is a medium where I’ve been dedicating more of my time recently. While working in a three-dimensional medium has its logistical challenges, I particularly enjoy exploring the interplay between the various materials, shapes, sizes, and lighting elements in a sculptural work.

The inspiration in my artwork is my personal accounts and perspectives, and my responses to significant life events and social phenomena. By being open and introspective through my own work, my message to the viewer is to encourage and challenge them to explore their own consciousness.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
It is inevitable to experience the loneliness as an artist. Making art is a deeply personal and at times solitary process. While I understand and appreciate the difficulty of feeling lonely, I sometimes enjoy and relish the peaceful moments when I’m alone, and it’s during these periods that I’m able to clear my mind. I now value more than ever before my personal time, and I use this time to explore, question, and refine my artistic viewpoint. It’s essential to find a balance and have other interests in your life, it’s not realistic or enjoyable to be solitary and introspective thinking about art all the time. I find it’s important and beneficial for my work that I’m also socially active, and to have open and honest conversation and engagement with other artists.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my entire body of work at my website, www.sijiachen.com. I also post regularly pictures of my works on my Instagram feed @SijiaChenStudio. Several of my works were commissioned and are on public display as well. At Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport in Guangdong, China, my works can be seen both inside and outside the airport’s main terminal. The main piece of the commission is often the first thing travelers and patrons see when they first arrive to or depart from the airport. At the moment, I am finalizing a commissioned work for the City of Claremont, it’s a sculpture that will be displayed in front of their City Hall. Several of my works have also been acquired by museums and galleries as part of their permanent collections. Supporting my work can be as simple as liking/commenting on my Instagram, I value the direct feedback and interaction that takes place on the platform. And there is no substitute for coming out to my exhibitions to show your support!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sijiachen.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sijiachenstudio

Image Credit:
Sijia Chen

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