HANNA LEE JOSHI

Vancouver-based Hanna Lee Joshi is a Korean-Canadian artist and illustrator working in animation. Her visually vibrant works feature voluminous shapes and flowing compositions that open up new and bold spaces - like candy - "the sweet sticky stuff" (as described on her website bio) - for the eyes! It's a joy to share her work in this year's ON/OFF Grid Show.

Image courtesy of artist. Photo: Abhishek Joshi

Joshi is one of the participating artists for the ON/OFF Grid art exhibition (April 6 - June 3) at the Gene Siskel Film Center in conjunction with the FAAIM 23rd Annual Asian American Showcase, 2018. We asked her a few questions about her work and artistic practice!

Does your identity or personal story inform your work? Who/what inspires you?

Lot of my recent work came about through examining my identity. They are not necessarily self portraits but aspects of my self; past, present, future. This lead to lots of inner exploration in my work. For my personal work, I enjoy delving in to subjects such as female gaze, body image, intimacy.

How has technology affected your creative process? Does this affect how you view or choose to interact with the world?

It expands my reach for seeking out inspirations , exposure, and reaching out to people. As an introvert and a hermit, without the social media my reach would be much smaller. It does sometimes exaggerate insecurities but that in turn forms some of the subject in my pieces.

How do you think digital formats impact your field and your audience?

Right now the line between digital and analog is blurring. I think its a really great time to explore all the options instead of compartmentalizing what we can and cannot do. I work in the animation industry. Almost everything is done digitally yet a lot of people want to add in elements of analog into the show. As human we crave something real and tactile but digital offers incredible conveniences. I like integrating both in my work.

See more of Hanna Lee Joshi's work on http://hannaleejoshi.com/ // Instagram @hannaleejoshi // Join us at the ON/OFF Grid art exhibition running Friday, April 6, 2018 - June 3, 2018.

Artist Interview // JULIA KUO

Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American illustrator. She currently works out of Chicago for most of the year and Taiwan in the winter. Julia illustrates children's books as well as editorial pieces for newspapers and magazines. Her clients include Science Friday, the New York Times, Hachette Books, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan Publishing. When she's not drawing, you might find her running around in a national park and looking at moss.

-Does your identity or how you identify yourself inform your work in any way?

Yes! It’s only natural to draw things that reflect who I am, or what I’m obsessing over at the moment. Sometimes it’s very deliberate. I'm a second generation Taiwanese-American female, and I remember deciding right out of school that I would draw medium-skinned, dark-haired females into my projects whenever possible.

Other times, the manifestation has been more tenuous. Recently I’ve gotten a few comments about my work resembling Japanese woodcuts. I’ve never intentionally modeled my work after Japanese art, but I grew up surrounded by different types of classic Asian art and still admire Hokusai and Hiroshige’s landscapes. I guess I can’t deny that connection, but it makes me wonder.

-When making your work, do you have certain expectations or do you aim for a specific reaction in your audience and the viewer? (Do you care about how the message of your work is received?)

As an illustrator, I care that my images are received in a way that’s appropriate to the content. Lately, I’ve been into creating images that share my love for the outdoors - so I’ve been working with clients that are also looking for the same mix of discovery and education!

-Does art serve a purpose for you outside of just beauty or aesthetics?

When I first started out, I was drawing cute and pretty greeting cards. I was surrounded by friends who were going through med school, working at non-profits, and just about any other job that would make the world a better place. It made me really think about how I could do something more meaningful with illustration. In the 8 years since, I’ve come to a place where I can say that my work has purpose and meaning. But thankfully it doesn't mean that the prettiness has to go away! I've also realized that greeting cards help people, too =)

-How do current events affect your practice?

I recently wrote and illustrated a story on an event involving bison in Canada. My agenda has been to make art that shares my love for the environment, whether it’s about a current event or my own personal experience. By encouraging people to find personal connections to natural places, my hope is that they’ll act to protect them via ways that best suit their careers and abilities. This bison story is part of a larger group of stories about my artist residency in Banff National Park at meetusinthewoods.com.

Julia Kuo's sketchbook. (Image courtesy of artist)

-Do you feel you are more reactive or more reflective when you create?

Maybe reflective, but most likely neither? If anything I’m pretty slow and deliberate; I have probably already reacted and reflected long before I’m ready to publish something for everyone to see.

Artist Interview // KATIE SO

Katie So is an illustrator and tattooer from Vancouver, BC. After graduating from graphic design school, Katie found her place in small press comics, through which she has had the opportunity to exhibit her work around the world. From there, she honed her illustration style to the recognizable brush and ink work she is known for. For the past two years, Katie has applied her illustrative style to tattooing and is currently a resident artist at Black Medicine Tattoo in Vancouver. Whatever medium she is expressing herself in, Katie's work retains a sense of dark introspection and humour.

So is one of the artists in the Fierce Tidings art exhibition at the Gene Siskel Film Center in conjunction with the FAAIM 22nd Annual Asian American Showcase which runs March 31st through April 12th, 2017. We asked her a few questions about her work and artistic practice!

from "Dirty Knees" group show, by Katie So. Image courtesy of artist.

-Does your identity or how you identify yourself inform your work in any way?

I’ve been told that my work involves asian subjects or themes with a European storybook application. That’s not something I consciously considered when approaching my work, but my mixed background has clearly seeped into my work whether I’m aware of it or not. I also identify as female, and definitely celebrate the feminine and female form in my work, whether portraying it in a sensual or sinister way. I think the female psyche embodies both those things, and I try and celebrate that.

Comic from "Dirty Knees" exhibit. Image courtesy of artist.

-When making your work, do you have certain expectations or do you aim for a specific reaction in your audience and the viewer? (Do you care about how the message of your work is received?)

I generally have something to saywith the work I put out there, but I don’t like to display my intent directly along side it because what has personal meaning to me, might (probably does) mean something else to another person. I’ve always been fascinated and motivated by the viewers’ own interpretations. What someone takes away from my art is never incorrect, and often those revelations end up being different than what I would have thought which is so interesting. Sometimes, it takes someone else’s viewpoint to really solidify what I was trying to say with a piece, which is why art is so important to me.

-Does art serve a purpose for you outside of just beauty or aesthetics?

I’ve used art as a therapeutic process, which begins when I’m creating the piece and continues through to sharing and discussing it with my peers and my audience. I’ve learned a lot through the dialogue my art has started about racial identity and mental health issues. It’s easy to think that you’re the only one processing the complexity of these issues, but I’ve found that the artwork I’ve created has helped me and people who enjoy my art feel a little less secluded.

"Inner Tempest" Image courtesy of artist.

-How do current events affect your practice?

Current events are very overwhelming. I’m overwhelmed most of the time! If anything, I’ve felt more comfortable discussing the issues that inform my work because race inequality and the stigma of mental health aren't issues to be quiet about anymore. Hopefully, we can talk about and discuss these issues more openly.

from "Attempts at Positivity" Image courtesy of artist.

-Do you feel you are more reactive or more reflective when you create?

Definitely reflective. I struggle with depression and personal identity and art can help to articulate the way I’m feeling, whether thats to myself or to my audience.

See more of Katie So's work on katie.so // Instagram @ghostmeadow // Tumblr http://katieso.tumblr.com/ // Katie's Tattoo tumblr https://katiethebaby.tumblr.com/ // Join us at the Fierce Tidings art exhibition opening Friday, March 31, 2017.

Last week to see JOURNEY-SCAPES Art Show! // Extended to May 18th!

The JOURNEY-SCAPES Art Show will be up for only one more week at the Chicago Gene Siskel Film Center! The exhibition closes May 18th. Artwork is still available for purchase online: here. Or, to view in person, contact info can be found on the artwork labels at the Film Center. Be sure to check it out while you can!

Artist Interview // EILEEN TJAN

Eileen Tjan is an award-winning art director and multi-disciplinary graphic designer. Based in Chicago, her studio practice OTHER bridges international aesthetics to deliver progressive design and branding services.