Mimi Zhang
they/she
Boston, MA, USA
Mimi loves cute things, their friends, their family, their pets, and having fun!
“While primarily a painter, Mimi's current work explores the facets of painting, woodworking, and metals as a way to collage together ephemeral thoughts and brooding monologues surrounding themes of heritage, culture, and identity. Mimi creates a cohesive dialogue focusing on intergenerational storytelling that encourages the viewer to reflect on their own inherited histories. Using all three mediums allows for transition between the 2D and the 3D, creating unique and sensory avenues into narrative. Their work utilizes lived experiences of family, elders, and friends for the purpose of biomythography, which is the combination of myth, history, and biography into one epic narrative. By combining the fantastical with slices of life, they maintain playful elements in their work while still addressing the bitter realities of dysphoria, otherness, and intergenerational trauma. Through their work, they highlight things often hidden in everyday life: the forms of mobility in one’s life, those forgotten and marginalized, and how niches of community and families can overturn false or stereotyped perceptions of reality. To bring life to a sequential moving narrative, Mimi relies on abstract expressionist techniques, with a focus on gesture, texture, and color.”
How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“My work requires an interaction with the viewer/wearer. For My Body, Your Choice, the marionette-like version of myself can be positioned in many ways: front or back, crucified or lounging. It brings to question the way the viewer perceives me. ‘Will you racialize me? Will you recognize or deny me of my queerness? How will you treat me?’ By presenting a miniature me in the form of jewelry, I hope to bring to attention the effects of perception on BIPOC queer bodies.
For On a Muddy Day in April, I made a pendant that represents a cherished memory from a muddy April day. The carnelian comes from my partner at the time, which I carried in my wallet as a good luck charm. We went to go check out a drained pond in a public park, as I was told that there were many hidden goodies. Some things I found included the walnut shell I used for the piece, snail shells, and shimmering pieces of trash. We were trying to look for cool things for a friend who was going through a rough time. At the end of the night we were exhausted and a little bit covered in mud, but ultimately content. This pendant also requires the viewer to play with it to get the full story. The back of the brass containing the carnelian has a secret written message that says what happened."
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“It's important for me to make connections and talk to people and learn from their lived experiences. How else do I grow if not through connections? How can I not better my art if not through connections?
I love sharing my art in an accessible manner. Every year I give out hand-made valentines and holiday gifts to the people I cherish but even to people I don't know that well but think deserve it (like essential workers). I also love treating art showcases as a form of show and tell. It's important to be a little childish and have play."
"My Body, Your Choice", enamel, copper, stainless steel, sterling silver, lace, brass, found materials, approx. 5" x 12" x .1", (dimensions vary depending on display), 2024What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
“It definitely impacts the way I'm perceived, but usually I am racialized first before my sexual/gender identity becomes questioned. Still, I'm grateful for all the lessons and permission-for-deviation queerness gives me. Queerness in more than one way calls for resistance in oppressive forces of so many dimensions. Hopefully everyone can utilize queerness as a way to radical change."
"On a Muddy Day in April...", enamel, copper, stainless steel, brass, walnut, carnelian, found materials, 3.5" x 1" x .75", 2024