Dream Most Difficult
ARC Gallery, 2156 N Damen Ave, Chicago, Illinois
April 25 – May 19, 2018
This exhibition provides examples of Yu Huang’s works produced since 2014. It is comprised of paintings and collages that reflect the artist’s concern for social-political and feminist issues. Huang’s work reveals her multicultural background and art history training. Huang’s art draws deeply on her life experiences as a woman, an immigrant, a Taiwanese American, a teacher, a curator, and an art historian. Art history training also enabled her to adopt an analytical view to examine her work in terms of content, design and techniques. These works are the artist’s commentaries on wars, cultural and artistic issues, and racial and gender struggles.
Highlights from the exhibition:
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The Struggle of Feminism
oil on canvas 40" x 40" 2018 This painting comments on the conflict and challenge among women of different generations, races and educational background. On the top is Nicki Minaj in her music video “Anaconda”. Under Minaj are the images of artist herself and a feminist professor. This work also investigates the idea regarding the power of women’s sexuality. |
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Blonde Girl Matter
Oil and collage on canvas 24" x 24" 2014 In 2013, a young girl Maria was found in Greece with her adoptive Gypsy family. Police thought the parents could not have a blonde daughter like Maria due to the parents’ dark features. Her adoptive parents were later arrested. But the police later found out that Maria was given by her gypsy mother to her adoptive parents because she was unable to raise her. Maria’s story captured the world’s attention at the time, while millions of missing children are often ignored. |
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Dream Most Difficult
oil on canvas 56" x 16" “Comfort Women” were forced prostitutes of the Japanese army during World War II. There were largely shun by society after the war. For these Taiwanese “Comfort Women”, they have been waiting for such a wedding for all their lives. It is the most difficult dream. It is a groom-less wedding mixed with sadness and joyfulness. |
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Finding Lillian Rose Lee
oil on canvas 58" x 58" 2016-2018 This work pays tribute to Michelle Knight, one of the three women held captive in a Cleveland home for nearly a decade. This painting honors Ms. Knight endless courage to live through hell and her journey from hell to be alive again. The title refers to her new life and new name “Lillian Rose Lee”. |
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Officier and a Mother
oil on canvas 36" x 36" 2016 This work criticizes the unsympathetic attitude of European countries towards the refugee crisis in the beginning of the Syrian war. It plays upon a 17th century Dutch painting Officer and Laughing Girl by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). I replaced the laughing girl with an agonizing mother. |
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Samira Salih al-Nuaimi
oil on canvas 36" x 36" 2015 Iraqi civil right lawyer criticized the destruction of historic sites by the ISIS on social media. She was taken from her home by the ISIS and later tortured and murdered by her kidnappers. The picture memorializes her and celebrate her everlasting life ("tree of life" in the background) and tremendous courage. |
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Jo
oil on canvas 36" x 48" 2016 Jo was a janitor in the art department of University of Louisville. I used to see her daily in the morning mopping the hallway of the art building. The painting reflects the dignity and pride that Jo always possesses for her work. |
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Mandala of Life
Oil, acrylic and collage on canvas 48" x 60" 2013 This is one of the artist’s earliest work. A mandala is a traditional Tibetan art form. This mandala contains images of the artist from her childhood to recent days with her family and her husband’s family. This work documents the artist's life and her thoughts about the passages of time. |