Jessica Chao
Artist Statement:
"Paintings, drawings, and prints are used to illustrate my ongoing fascination with psychological ‘states of being’. I often portray ‘out of the ordinary’ states of being by altering familiar surroundings, objects, or attributes associated with typical human behavior. These familiar yet subtly deceptive ‘out of the ordinary’ states can be complex, but can also seem quite obvious in their presentation. It is my intention to emphasize, as well as ‘peculiarize’, the familiar, drawing attention to undercurrents of hidden meaning. Psychological states can be implied through carefully orchestrated narrative moments. These moments are glimpses; not simply motion stills, but captured moments through which the subject engages the observer, allowing the observer to react to the subject’s experience".