I am an artist reimagining aesthetic traditions from Chinese culture as an inquiry into the dilemma of heritage. As part of the queer diaspora, searching for belonging in my culture while reconciling my unseverable tension with it is a constant flux that exists within me. I ponder the legacy of aesthetics, as it reflects the inheritance of values. In doing so, I am fascinated by cultural artifacts that materialize the traditions and history that are my heritage. My practice reshapes that imagery to defy the inherited notions of order and propriety that deem me an outsider. While at the same time, I find solace in cultural themes of silence and harmony as they resonate with hidden and tacit queerness. This tension emerges through layers of drawing, painting, and collage, expressing a restless stillness. The overlapping textures create a surface of lustrous decay, echoing the physical history of those artifacts. Lonesome figures are enveloped with imagery of interiors, objects, and patterns from Chinese culture. I arrange and flatten perspective and movement to create scenes suspended in space and time. These mixed-media drawings are interplays of person and artifact, meditating on their interconnected symbolism and influence on each other.

instagram: @josephni.art
email:  josephnijn@gmail.com