Evelyn Wong

Lives and works in Portland, Maine, USA

Artist statement

I am a first-generation Chinese American, a survivor of multigenerational trauma, a native to the American South, and currently a resident of New England. These experiences have given me a unique perspective on what it means to be part of the Asian diaspora in America. In my work, I use materiality, text, Western and Chinese imagery and symbolism to speak to my liminality of existing between cultures. Although I often find that I have to navigate the world as others see me (Asian), I also want to be seen as whole. The work included here speaks to these desires: I am political, I have longing, I have grief, I love, and I fear.

Artwork

• Sending the Spirits Home, 2021. Paste paper, Chinese calligraphy ink, rice paper, tracing paper, ink pochoir
• The Silence Stretching All the Way to Asia, 2021. Paper, ink, pochoir, acrylic, Tyvex, toner transfer
• Mooncakes for Democracy, 2020. Mixed media, edible rice paper with egg wash, traditional Chinese papercutting, red food coloring, edible rice paper hand-dyed with red adzuki bean liquid, excerpts from the US Declaration of Independence
• What Is Home? (II), 2019. Mixed media, linocut, silk, rice paper, Chinese calligraphy ink, Chinese watercolor, bamboo rods, ribbon, and a house key
• Feeding Our Daughters, 2018. 3 rice bowls and utensils, 33 miniature scrolls painted with traditional Chinese ink on rice paper
• Where Is Home?, 2018. Installation using mixed media, found domestic objects, household lights, handcrafted boxes with children’s diary locks and keys
• My Grandma Doesn't Love Me, 2018. Mixed media, soy sauce painted with brushes from my other grandma, who does love me
• The Immigration of Kudzu, 2017. Paper, pen, color pencil