Artists
Photo Credit: NIU Chun-Chiang
LEE Chao-Chang
LEE Chao-Chang
| Location | USA / New York, NY |
|---|---|
| Residency | International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) |
| Year of the Grant | 2002 |
| Work | Sky Funeral |
Artist Statement
I had just graduated from a graduate program in Japan when I participated in the residency program in New York City. The experience of visiting New York, the great international stage for the arts, had a great impact on my artistic and personal development. The artists that I met from all over the world were proud of being able to work in New York. We had great ambition and worked hard day and night. Even when we took breaks from our studios and gathered under the technicolor light in the local pub for a drink, our thoughts were still filled with the idea of creating art and searching for more inspiration from this foreign environment. Frankly speaking, this constant mode of art sometimes made me feel exhausted and lost. I remember there was young Japanese artist who had come to ISCP at his own cost. He had to be extremely frugal because the cost for renting a studio space at ISCP is exceptionally high. His work showed great strength and vitality despite the hard condition he was working in. There were plenty of artists like him in the program that I respect wholeheartedly.
Identifying as an ‘Artist-in-Residency’ was helpful in terms of obtaining more resources and conducting friendly exchanges when visiting art galleries and museums. Speaking in English during these visits also sparked new ways of thinking unlike communicating in my native environment.