Cindy Leung
Bio
Cindy Leung is an artist from Hong Kong. She holds an MFA from University of Florida and a BFA from Queens College, CUNY. She exhibited nationally and internationally in China, New York, California, Florida, Washington and more. Leung is an adjunct professor and an Artist-In-Residence at Belger Crane Yard Studio.
Artist Statement
Using Chinese exports―silk, tea, and porcelain as a point of entry, I create materially hybrid objects primarily out of these materials to explore how objects and people come together, through the complex relationship between consumerism, colonization, and cultural hybridity. These materials were historically associated with the British colonization in China since they originated in the East, and were popularized in the West through trading and wars. I consider these materials being a part of my identity, given that I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I pair these materially hybrid objects with poems that explore the different weights of words in both Chinese and English languages. The pairing reflects my bilingual education, as well as the code-switching skill that many bilingual people share.
The recent expansion of my materials include the use of shipping peanuts, foam, glass, and fiber. In the process of assembling the hybrid objects with these new materials, I realize the meaning of the work has migrated from identity work into a realm where I explore how people cultivate a sense of togetherness through transportation. Such exploration aims to further develop my understanding on how humanity is identified through socialization. Working with ceramics and other materials led me into the expanded field, in which I get to embed meanings in my hybrid objects by working with the history of the materials.