10 Questions with Sam He

Sam He is a multimedia artist whose work mainly swings between interactive sculpture and mixed media installation. She gained her BFA and MFA degree from Maryland Institute College of Art in painting and multidisciplinary art. Her work has been exhibited in Performance Space 122 New York; Institute of Contemporary Art, Baltimore; Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis; Walter Otero Contemporary Art, Puerto Rico; Fukuoka International Youth Film Festival, Japan; Milan Art & Events Center, Italy; XSPACE Art Square, China, etc. She will be exhibited at the 26th Guangzhou International art Fair and 2021 Art Expo New York. Her solo show project has been featured in China Daily Global, and she now works as an independent artist and works in New York.

nandansamhe.com | @smmmmmart

ARTIST STATEMENT

Most of Sam’s work is multidisciplinary installations with an underlying perception of cognitive dissonance. It coincides with everyone’s odd phantasm and nihilistic belonging with consequences of misplacement and misinformation. Our generation grew up believing that reality is the most surreal thing. We are floating in a marginalized social structure and trying to figure out the balance between us and the world. Using cardboard, animation, VR video, etc., she creates intimacy spaces like a false self-preservation solution with sanitized and romanticized armor. They explore the rawness of a contemporary self, embodied cognition of emptiness, and reveals an irrational order of a hyper normalized wonderland.

Nobody Knows (inside), Mix media installation, 3x4x3 ft, 2019 © Sam He

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us a bit of your background and studies. What kind of education or training helped you develop your approach to art?

I majored in painting and interdisciplinary art at Maryland Institute College of Art for my BFA and MFA degree. MICA is such a place that you could really emerge yourself into art practice, and I like the feeling of being raw, wild with no boundary in terms of art-making.

You are a versatile multidisciplinary artist, but what is your preferred medium of choice, the one you will always come back to?

A lot of my artwork consists of cardboard and electric devices, but the reason I would use them as part of my medium is simply because it is easy to approach. I don't really have a preferred medium because it is just a carrier to deliver thoughts and feelings. Different mediums play their own role in each piece of art. Hence, no matter what kind of medium (video, installation, sculpture, painting, etc.), if it ends up even one moment mentally colliding with the viewer's interpretation, that specific medium becomes the most appropriate one for that piece.

Box Inside My Head (detail), mix media, variable dimensions, 2021 © Sam He

OhShit!, Mix media interactive installation, size variable, 2019 © Sam He

And what is your aim as an artist? What would you like the public to get away from your work?

The most important thing for me as an artist is to be honest with myself. It sounds cliche, but to be completely honest, it takes time and patience. You should learn deeply about yourself, acknowledge the evil and angel side of your desire, and experience the world before you grow up to be an artist. It is a bedazzling adventure. Dig a hole to see what is within your mind, figure out how to get along with your inner ego, and balance it with the outside factors from the world. Being an artist to me is a really personal thing, but it doesn't mean that I don't want others' "approval". Public for me is too big of a term, I can't control everyone's thoughts and preferences, but I would really appreciate it if my artwork can bring someone for even one moment of emotional thoughts in common. It is like being in the universe. Artwork and its audience are like two stars that shine their light, embrace and infiltrate the vibe even if they are millions of miles away from each other. This is a beautiful thing.

Let's talk about your creative process. What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

I would like to say humor, but I actually don't want to mention it because you will never see a comedian say it out loud to the public "I'm funny, look at me". But since this is an interview, I want to be honest. Yes, I pay attention to create serious work in a humorous way. I think this kind of conflict will have a powerful impact in terms of art making and storytelling. For example, the most emotional or touching parts of a sad story are not the presence of a character crying but laughing. The incredible trauma point often affects the audience the most when sealed off with jokes.

You work mainly with mixed media installations and interactive sculptures. Where do you get your inspiration from?

I got my inspiration from my daydreaming. I guess daydream comes from everyday life. From readings, movies, news, YouTubers, conversations with people, with nature, with my furniture? With a rock? With my toilet? With void. The world is fantastic when you just look at it.

A huge part of your art is your reflection on themes such as cognitive dissonance and misinformation. You stated, "Our generation grew up in a perception that reality is the most surreal thing, we are floating in a marginalized social structure and trying to figure out the balance between us and the world." Where do you stand in this regard? Do you embrace this feeling of surreal?

"Cognitive dissonance", "misplacement" and "misinformation" are some really personal terms to describe the way I look at things, to observe the world from an unexpected observation stage. Together, they are trying to reveal the aftermath from collided alterations of predetermined values in terms of my artwork. With the development of everything, we step into an era where things are moving and changing at an unpredictable speed. When things develop too quickly, everything feels fragile. "marginalized social structure" is a metaphor. I think we as humans are standing on the edge of unfolding something exhilarating but at the same time terrifying to unfold the entire new page, like Plato's allegory of the cave. Maybe we should slow down a little and take some time to think about our ignorance and what we really need. I don't know how to describe the term "surreal" because I am not sure what is called "real"? But People sometimes don't pay attention to those things that can't be seen directly by the eye - for instance, the shape of sound, the smell of time, the color of mood. When inhabiting those things with our body, our feeling would perceive a state of contents that we would not normally envisage, and it enhances the capacity to teleport the rawness of a being.

At the same time, do you think art can help people find a balance between themselves and the surrounding world? Did it help you find your own balance?

Of course. This is the most fascinating thing about art. I believed that art-making is the process of discovering one's spiritual world, and so forth. It cascaded into a simpatico pattern that balances everything. Once I see the hologram of myself, I conciliate with the worse side of me and move on. This kind of balance allows artists and their surrounding world to grow up together.

Let's talk about the future. What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am working on my newest sculpture/installation for the upcoming international art fair in Guangzhou. I have been traveling inside my head every day for the past year. If time allows, I want to go to universal. Living my life every day is exciting :)

Nobody Knows (outside), Mix media installation, 3x4x3 ft, 2019 © Sam He

What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?

Since the world had paused a little bit last year, luckily, I have got the time and space to have conversations with myself and have written many things and stories. I am working on putting those ideas into new works and finishing my newest animation installation this year. So my personal life and career, in a way, grow together.

Finally, any shows, galleries, or publications where our readers can find your work?

You guys are welcome to see my works and find upcoming shows, publications/ press details through my website nandansamhe.com :)

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