Imitating Life: Posing questions to artist Ching Ching Cheng

By: Cory Bilicko

Taiwanese-born artmaker Ching Ching Cheng moved to the United States 12 years ago when she was 21. She now lives in Altadena, where she works as an artist, a wife and a mom.

She began her creative ventures at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 2006 and now works in her garage, using a variety of mediums, including watercolor, books, maps, epoxy resin, fabric, wire and other materials.

How would you characterize the work you do?
Exploring identities and cultures in scientific, psychological conditions are my main practice with various approaches using mixed mediums and found objects through drawings, paintings, sculptures and installation. Different places have different cultures, and human beings will naturally change and adapt to different environments. When people travel, they bring their culture and identity with them. Sometimes the culture and identity that they bring with them change and adapt to that new environment. In the end, it changes to a modified new culture or a different identity. I always put myself in the situation to make the subject matter more personal to me, so my work gives an intimate and personal account of my own exper­iences, while simultaneously encouraging the viewer to recall their own.

What is a medium you have yet to use that you’d like to employ in your art?
Photography and video.
What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?
Space. Having enough space to make art, having enough space to install art, and having enough space to store art.

What has being an artist brought to your life?
Having more opportunity to explore and travel places and experience different cultures.
To view more of this artist’s work, visit chingchingcheng.com .