LONDON | UK
Jessie Lijiaqi is an artist who masterfully combines Chinese painting, art history, and digital media into unique projects that explore human emotions, communities, and social systems. Her works are not just individual expressions but collective creations that amplify the voices of marginalized communities through concepts of public intervention and urban rooms. In this interview, Jessie shares her artistic journey, methods, and inspirations, revealing how technology plays a crucial role in her creative process.
Your work spans a wide range of media and themes. How did you develop your artistic style, and what inspires you to combine Chinese painting, art history, and digital media?
My curiosity has always driven me to try different forms of creation. In this constant process of exploration, I learn and grow. For me, the formation of an artistic style is a long journey and a process of continuous self-examination and self-exploration. Over ten years ago, I began studying Chinese painting. Through this process, I discovered my passion for creation. This led me to enter a professional art academy for systematic painting studies. Here, I felt the unique characteristics of Western painting and sculpture and traditional Chinese painting. Art history became a bridge to help me understand art. The idea of 'fusion' began to appear in my mind. I asked myself, "What new possibilities are there for creation? Can 2D paintings become 3D installations? What if they are virtual and digital?" With these questions, I turned to digital media art creation, from movies and games to combined installations. By combining audio-visual elements, I aim to more effectively convey the stories and social issues behind the art.
Could you explain in more detail the concepts of "public intervention" and "urban rooms" in your projects? How do these concepts impact the communities you work with?
Public intervention relies on specific sites, integrating the environment, history, and context to engage with the audience.I study and analyze a specific situation and try to create site-specific works, attempting to use my work to influence the site itself as well as reflect broader social issues and the complex background of urban development. An urban room is a community space created for the people, where everyone can discuss, share, and create. My goal is to talk to the audience in this space where everyone can participate, and every voice can be heard. Art is no longer just the creation of an individual artist but a product of collective participation. This changed my previous habit of drawing inspiration from life and the audience to questioning what I can offer the audience through my work. What can the audience gain from an art piece has become a question I ponder.
Your work focuses on amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. What methods do you use to connect with these communities and present their stories through your art?
Conducting on-site research in the community is very important. The simplest yet most fundamental approach is to go to the community center as often as possible, engaging in volunteer work or communicating with residents. This process allows me to gradually establish connections with people, and build trust and friendships. On the foundation of mutual trust, we can then engage in more in-depth communication. Throughout the process, I will document the interactions through images, and a video that captures these subtle emotions is always a part of the final project.
You describe technology as a bridge for conveying emotions. Could you tell us more about how technology plays a role in your creative process? What are some specific examples of your works that best illustrate this idea?
Digital technology can help me create models of installations and spaces to better understand the situation I am researching, and it also assists me in making films for the projects. In the project 'When We Look into Each Other’s Eyes,' I restored wedding footage and family life videos recorded by my mother before 1993. This allowed me to see my parents' and family's lives. Based on these videos, I returned to the city where my mother spent her childhood to trace the history of my family. These video materials to some extent reflect the daily life of most East Asian families. In an era where technology prevails, I hope my work can return to its essence—pure emotions. This can resonate with the audience.
When We Look Into Each Other’s Eyes, 2023, Video Installation
The Digital Alchemy: Transforming Pixels into Emotions, 2023, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago
Your artistic portfolio includes diverse projects and exhibitions. Which projects or exhibitions have been the most significant to you, and why?
"When We Look into Each Other’s Eyes" is a significant installation work for me because it was created for my mother and all mothers. Ultimately, I extended this theme and produced a video named 'Lihong and Jiaqi' after my mother and me. In the past, I constantly moved to new cities to live and pursue my artistic dreams, and my mother was the most supportive person. When I came to the UK, the long distance and time difference made me realize that I hadn't seen her in a long time. Dinner was the only time I spoke face-to-face with my mother when we lived together. When I saw my reflection in the mirror on the table while living in the UK, it felt like my mother’s face and mine gradually overlapped. I had longed for a world far away but gradually forgot what my mother looked like. I am an essential part of her life, but I have never truly delved into her past. I began looking for her, embracing our memories. My mother also participated in the preparation of the project. She, along with some other audience members, was very moved at the final exhibition. Some audience members came to hug me, and others shared stories about their own mothers. All of this has become the motivation for me to dedicate myself to public participation in community projects in the future.
How have you utilized your education and experience from different cultural backgrounds (China, UK) to shape your artistic practice?
China and the UK have completely different cultures, ways of thinking, and social structures, which is very interesting and gives me more possibilities for artistic creation. It also allows me to think about art creation from an objective third perspective. For example, after staying in the UK for a long time, I would return to China to observe the bustling markets and small alleys. Compared to the cities in the UK, this might seem more casual, chaotic, and even lacking in design and planning. But the local residents have their own rule of life. This is full of artistry and attraction for me. My practice in the UK has given me a more academic and rigorous attitude. There are many excellent artists as precedents, which is conducive to developing a more mature creative process.
What are your plans for the future? Are you currently working on any new projects that you would like to share with us?
Exploring the diversity and possibilities of artistic creation will be something I persist in doing in the future. Currently, I am deeply attracted by the history of Chinese immigrants in the Limehouse area of London, which was once London's first Chinatown. However, now these traces have disappeared. It wasn't until I found some letters from residents and their families on Narrow Street that I focused on the personal belongings people preserved and carried with them, and became curious about the stories behind these items. When we move or migrate, we always carry our personal luggage, and through these belongings, we might be able to glimpse our past life experiences. I hope to explore how personal belongings carry the memories and emotions of immigrant communities regarding their past.
Jessie Lijiaqi merges Chinese painting, art history, and digital media into unique projects that explore human emotions, communities, and social systems. Through concepts of public intervention and urban rooms, she gives voice to marginalized communities, creating deeply emotional and visually compelling works. In this interview, Jessie shares her artistic journey, methods, and inspirations, uncovering the essential role of technology in her creative process.
Photos: Jessie Lijiaqi