Episode 62: Interlockingness of Stories (w/ Jen Liu)

Summary: Hey everyone. Hope you are doing well. The Lunar New Year came and went without much trouble and teaching started back up at my university. Over the break, I caught up on some work, cooked a bit, and read some books. I was able to finish Raven Leilani's Luster and Charles Yu's Interior Chinatown. Both were a good break from some of the more dense art theory I sometimes put myself through. I recommend you check both out. Anyway. For this episode, I am interviewing Jen Liu, an artist working in video, painting, biomaterial, sculpture, and performance on the topics of national identity, labor economy, and the reinterpretation of archival artifacts. Jen got her BA in creative writing from Oberlin College and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. She has attended residencies such as De Ateliers, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Pioneer Works, and many others. Jen has also exhibited in venues like The Whitney Museum, The New Museum, and the 2014 Shanghai Biennale. Her past awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a LACMA Art+Technology Award, and a Creative Capital grant. In our discussion, we chat about Jen's path from a writer to an artist, living and working in Europe, and how she views storytelling in the framework of time-based media. Jen thought we sounded like two cute chipmunks which I take as a compliment. In any case, stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope you enjoy this.