Jenie Gao
Opening Reception: Friday, Feb. 6 | 3 to 5 p.m.
Show Dates: Friday, Feb. 6 - Friday, Mar. 6
Exhibition Statement
In The Negotiation Table, I take hand-carved woodblocks and transform them into sites of negotiation.
This transformation responds to the history of how print became indoctrinated in the fine arts.
Historically, print made it possible to communicate with the masses. But to compete with painting, it became best practice to destroy printing plates to make prints artificially rare. I have always been uncomfortable with destroying evidence of labor in favor of rarifying the asset. I reflect on the tension of assimilation and resistance within printmaking, as a Taiwanese-Chinese American who has been made artificially rare in white dominant spaces.
For example, in my Negotiation Table entitled Cycle | Breaking and Making, the table I have reclaimed is a knock-off of a popular European style called the Chippendale, which is an appropriation of Ming and Tang Dynasty furniture. This furniture’s popularity arose as European nations began funding expeditions in search of a shorter route to Asia, catalyzing westward expansion and colonization of Turtle Island.
By cutting my own indelible mark in this stolen table design, I reclaim Chinoiserie from its assimilation. I transform the materials to move them away from appropriation and artificial rarity towards a practice of abundance and presence.
Artist’s Bio
Jenie Gao (she/they) is a full-time artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. She runs an anti-gentrification arts business, specializing in printmaking, public art, social practice, and storytelling. They consult for cultural organizations and the public sector on equity and ethics.
Jenie is a second generation Taiwanese-Chinese American and descendant of working class immigrants. Through their cross section of personal and professional experiences, Jenie has become attuned to issues of artists’ labor, cultural power, and institutional accountability. She runs a paid apprenticeship program and has mentored 25 emerging artists.
Jenie has a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking/drawing from Washington University in St. Louis and a master of fine arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Their solo shows include Museum of Wisconsin Art, Diane Endres Ballweg Gallery, and UW Whitewater’s Crossman Gallery. Museum exhibits include South Bend Museum of Art, Trout Museum of Art, Cedarburg Art Museum, and Burnaby Village Museum. Residencies include Proyecto’Ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museo de Arte Moderno in Castro, Chile; Ma’s House at Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, N.Y.; and Artist Campaign School with Fractured Atlas. Jenie's work has been featured on platforms including PBS, Fête Chinoise, and Shoutout LA. She is a former TEDx Madison speaker.
Free and Open to the Public
The Pratt Munson Gallery is located at Munson Museum of Art at 310 Genesee St. Utica, N.Y.
Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
