Today we’d like to introduce you to Kuang Chu
Kuang, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Beijing, China, to parents who were both engineers. From a young age, I was different from other children, but my parents, shaped by their upbringing, feared being different themselves. This led to a significant disconnect between us. Coupled with their overprotective nature and negative parenting style, my childhood was quite repressed, fostering a cautious and contemplative personality that later manifested in my work.
From a very young age, I was a nerdy person. I struggled to fit in with groups. This early experience instilled in me a feeling of both terrifying and comforting solitude, which became the greatest source of energy for my later artistic creations. I built my own little world, primarily composed of my hobbies and interests. I’ve loved natural history since childhood, and one day, I stumbled upon several National Geographic magazines at an old bookstore in Beijing. I was immediately captivated by the wildlife photography. At that time, similar high-quality natural history publications were unavailable in China, so I decided to learn English. My approach to learning English was also quite nerdy; my reading and writing skills excelled, and I even wrote four books on art in English, published by CYPI Press. However, my spoken English only improved significantly after moving to Los Angeles in 2023. Nevertheless, if you’re patient and willing to discuss nerdy topics, you won’t be disappointed.
Aside from my hobbies, I gradually began to build my own little world through creation. Because I have red-green color vision deficiency, I was unable to receive formal art education in China when I was young, so I taught myself drawing.
I have always been wavering between writing and visual arts. Until one day, when I felt I was good enough at drawing, I began to fully commit to visual art. I feel like an ant parasitized by a fungus, with my life dedicated to serving art. I am not the free-spirited image that people often think of when they mention “artist,” but rather a nerdy East Asian student, working hard while enjoying the process.
My “Red Balloon” series uses digital drawing to mimic the engravings in Renaissance Europe, reflecting my determination to create my own little world, while also possessing a strong sense of poetry and allegory, clearly showcasing my side as a writer.
I have experienced many failures in my life, including a failed first marriage. However, in 2014, I met my current wife, Tia Xia, and decided to pursue her from our very first encounter. It turned out to be the best decision of my life. She is a very talented artist and the best wife. We live and create together. One example of our co-creation is the award-winning children’s science picture book 20,000 Years to Make Toilet.
The situation of free speech in China is getting worse, and the economy is also declining. Tia Xia and I hope to find another option of life. In 2019, we attended the Artist in Residency program at the Hudson Arts Center in New York State, after which she began preparing to pursue an MFA in the United States. The reason she is studying and not me is that I feel my art has matured and solidified, while she still has significant room for progress.
Eventually, Tia was accepted into Otis College of Art and Design, and we moved to Los Angeles last year. While I cook for her and take care of other daily matters, I continue my own creations. In Los Angeles, I saw many of the latest trendy artworks and began a completely new drawing series (first being published in this publication).
After arriving in Los Angeles, I realized that many of the movies I had seen were filmed here. The small grove of skyscrapers, like a bonsai rising amidst the glowing dots of the plain, is both illusory and melancholic—especially when considering the glamour and disillusionment of Hollywood and the recurring nuclear explosion scenes that happen here on screen. Los Angeles feels like a city built by the Autobots, much friendlier to cars than to pedestrians. I have visited a handful of charming places in Los Angeles, but stepping outside often leads to monotonous, dull streets or impoverished alleys littered with trash, leaving me, a person who enjoys long walks, at a loss. For those who wish to love her continuously, Los Angeles is a constant tease and a perpetual sadness.
However, the challenges posed by the complexities of life in America are even more distressing than the difficulty of wholeheartedly loving Los Angeles. I came to America out of despair for China’s future, only to encounter one of the most polarized elections in history, with widespread concern about America’s future. As an intellectual growing up in China, I admire Western values, resent the Communist regime, and yearn for the democratic freedoms of America. Yet upon arriving, I found the art scene in the U.S. largely opposing capitalism and colonialism, advocating for de-Westernization and cultural pluralism. As a Chinese person, I face cultural and language barriers in Los Angeles, but I feel that my oddities as a nerd far outweigh those of being a newcomer compared to the locals. Being tens of thousands of miles away from my parents, I seem to forget all the various gaps with them, wishing every day to fly back to their side and feeling guilty for not being able to take care of them.
In this multidimensional displacement, and as a multi-statistical minority, I have my odd head poking out in a strange place. I hope to survive here and find a path. Yet hope flickers and fades, with no straight road appearing before me.
I live in an apartment next to Otis College of Art and Design, jogging daily around the massive building of the Los Angeles Airport Police. On rainy nights, I often find many snails on the sandy ground beside the grass. It seems nearly impossible for snails to grip the sandy surface, and their moisture is likely to be absorbed away. I speculate that the next day, there should be some snails that have given up crawling and are curled up in their shells on the sand, but I have yet to find any. I think they must possess some ability or luck unknown to me, allowing them to reach their desired destinations. Perhaps I too have some similar ability or luck yet unknown to myself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m not satisfied with my artwork and I’m trying my best to improve.
My English isn’t good enough yet, and I hope to communicate more smoothly with locals.
I don’t have a car yet and my driving skills are not proficient, which makes getting around Los Angeles inconvenient.
As an intellectual raised in China, I need to become more familiar with the discourse systems of the American academic and art worlds.
I need to consider how I should handle disagreements with mainstream opinions within my circles, and whether I should express those disagreements.
(These are all reflected in my story.)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The following are the three bodies of my artwork:
The “Red Balloon” series: Exquisite digital drawings shown and sold as fine artwork.
New pencil drawing series: Poetic or allegorical drawings speak for themselves.
The library doodle series: Doodles drawn according to random images I found in a library, exploring the limit of drawing as well as composing meaningful artworks eventually.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My Favorite book:
Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
Youtube channel: Deep look
DEEP LOOK is a science video series that explores big science by going very, very small, from KQED and PBS Digital Studios. A group of Los Angelenos achieved the visual impact of a BBC documentary series on a modest budget, the trick being, first, to film only very small animals, and second, to film very small animals that basically live in California.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kuangchuart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kuang.chu.756
