Dodo makes self-aware work about being born a woman in China in the late 80s. Around this time, China began an intense period of development with regard to economy and technology. “I realized that people could have [a] conversation with me through my work without any language.” The artist leans on art to create dialogue around misunderstood issues and reflect the unique standpoint of her Chinese female subjectivity, in acknowledgment of the way in which the perceived ordinariness of her own quotidien experience is far from mainstream. She intends that her work push viewers outside the comfort level of personal background and the hegemony of cultural norms. The process of making art allows Dodo to reflect on the relationship between culture and time — “This whole process from thinking to communicating makes me feel alive.” The artist’s careful process seeing a concept take shape from ideation to final outcome of the work is a way of questioning her own “ordinary” values and beliefs, situating them within and against the status quo here in the West. Having recently obtained her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in the Chelsea Arts district of Manhattan, she questions what society promises in return to those who conform to the standards imposed. Often this takes the form of unpacking Asian Beauty standards and making a commentary on the crazed phenomena of cosmetics. Recent works of hers that address this include a 4-channel video Beauty Meditation clock, Idle Character, and Dodo’s website project Asianbeautystudio.com. Another outgrowth of that body of work will be a photo book called Asian Beauty Catalog. She recruited 10 Asian girls from the SVA MFA-photo department to be her catalog “idols.” Playing on the typical Asian Beauty standards and idol aesthetic, she’ll add her own touch of experimental editing to throw a fork into the plasticized, fantasy ideals. Tugging at our societal expectations, given the cultural differences, Dodo thrives in mining commonalities and making connections that transcend language and nation.
https://www.asianbeautystudio.com/