Selected Works
Cindy Shih
Artist Statement:
In using materials and methods rooted in time-honored traditions like Italian fresco and Chinese landscape painting, Cindy Shih uses the language of brushwork, line, and texture to express the turbulence, fragility, and resilience in human migration. Her early interest in Chinese calligraphy, western philosophy, and present discourses on immigration has led her to explore these concepts in a visual form.
Her process informs the narrative as it starts with many thin, burnished layers of Venetian plaster, constructing a textured, abstracted terrain. Sumi-e ink and various media are then mixed in, settling into the crevices and cracks as the imagery is formed. In the process, both traditions of western-style fresco and Chinese landscape painting work in tandem to guide the narrative of each piece.
This series uses materials as metaphor while evoking the raw energy, passion, and power of forces of nature. In contemplating human migration as a natural force, these pieces are a quiet, passionate reflection of the contentious discussions around race and human migration today.
Cindy Shih was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Los Angeles with her family at the age of three. She moved to the Bay Area in 2005, and currently lives and works in San Francisco. Drawing heavily from her early training in Chinese calligraphy, she uses techniques inspired by tradition to speak to current issues of gender, race, and power.
www.cindyshihart.com
IG: @cindyshihart