We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wendy Wei. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wendy below.

Wendy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Right now, I am working on a series of embroidery paintings that feature confessional texts. I use the “x” and grid pattern to mimic cross-stitch embroidery, which was very popular among Chinese households in the early 2000s. It was a beloved pastime for Chinese women during the pre-smartphone era, as it is beginner-friendly compared to other types of stitching, requiring only the ability to follow the grid and repeat the “x.” When I was little, almost all the nannies and stay-at-home moms were addicted to it. I was so impressed by their patience because I could never do that! I was clumsy and impatient, and only cartoons could entertain me. Back then, I thought cross-stitching must be the hallmark of adulthood and womanhood. Now as an adult, I want to commemorate the women in my life (my nannies, my mom, and my grandma) and honor their often-hidden sacrifice for the family or society.
The text on the paintings ranges from my conversation with my friends to memes, from rhetorical questions to my anecdotal experience… The text is mostly in Chinese, my mother tongue, because I have a certain audience in mind and I look back at my childhood in China fondly.

Wendy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi! My name is Wendy Wei, and I am primarily a painter. I am currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at School of Visual Arts in NYC.
I have always casually enjoyed painting and drawing since I was little, but I also have a burning passion for biology (specifically zoology and botany). I went into undergrad adamant that I was going to be a biology major. I remember reading an article saying that around 80% of college students in the US have changed their major, and I proudly told my friends, “not gonna be me!” However, in my Sophomore year, I took a painting class and I completely fell in love with it. Painting felt so riveting and natural to me—a blossoming interest that I was pleasantly surprised but also pretty confused. COVID-19 impacted most of my undergrad experience. I was forced to slow down and reconsider what I truly want for myself. The pandemic disrupted my plan of studying abroad in Japan and the career path I had long planned for myself. I learned not to take things for granted. It was a hard decision to switch to art—I was always aware of the financial instability. Eventually, I concluded that painting seemed to be a little bit more fun than biology since my aptitude in biology could only land me a rat-killing-fly-breeding kind of position, to be honest. (And this is definitely a “grass is greener” situation as well). Ultimately, I realized that if I were to pursue my dream, maybe it’s best to do it in my twenties, when I am still young and tenacious and foolish. So I just went YOLO about it.
Timeline-wise, I am extremely fortunate that I am economically privileged to not worry about the cost of a master’s education. After graduating from undergrad, I spent one year in Toronto working part-time jobs while generating more work for grad school applications.
Looking back, I am grateful for my experience and background in biology. It still feeds my art practice. For example, I like to paint animals in captivity. And I use the color green a lot.
I used to regret not going to an art school for undergrad (BFA). I used to envy the BFA students. I still feel like I have a ton to catch up (especially when it comes to the painting technique). It seemed like I “wasted” three years. But then I realized that life is too long to rush, and we each have our own pace. Right now, I am extremely excited and grateful for my time studying art in New York City—I get to just paint all day, and I get to be selfish and tell whatever story I want to tell. I feel like these two years will be the best two years of my life: it’s Wendy time now.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I think the best part is that I get to tell my own story. I get to be the most atomic version of myself. In biology, we often work in teams. And when it comes to being a researcher, a lot of times you don’t get to pursue “the truth” or to fulfill your curiosity because the budget is limited or it doesn’t have potential for publishing. Whereas, our field (fine art) celebrates the greatest level of creative freedom (I think creative writing might also be about the same level) to a degree that it tolerates some aspects of moral greyness. I could treat my artwork as an emotional dumpster, a therapist, a teacher, a lover… etc.
I extract my sour life to make some weird green juice and find out that many people are delighted to drink it. It strokes my ego so well. Collectors don’t just want to collect some soulless paintings, but they want to collect the artist’s kids. My paintings are like my children, and I love sending them to adoption!
Equally important, a rewarding part is to grow together with my fellow artists. Me and my MFA bestie Jess both started as painters. I am the more traditional one— I continue to make illustrative and detailed paintings and want to be a painter’s painter. Jess, however, has turned to process-driven work, which eventually led her to fiber art. Our work looks very different, and we care about different matters. But we have had countless FaceTime calls in which we fervently talked about each other’s work and cheered each other up. I think friendship like that is one of the most beautiful things in life.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I enjoy reading Asian literature, particularly Chinese and Chinese Malaysian literature. It’s like a portal to alternative worlds, whether they be vast terrains, snowbound towns, or humid rainforests… I sometimes draw inspiration from these natural sceneries.
Another important influence is Japanese anime. I like rewatching Ghost in the Shell and Detective Conan, and I often take screenshots whenever I see an interesting composition. For my painting “Old Soul,” I drew inspiration from the composition of one frame in Detective Conan. I also really enjoy watching Honey and Clover, which is about the lives of several students at an art college in Tokyo; I resonate with this beautiful story deeply, particularly on its discussion of gifted people versus average people in the creative field.
As for artists, I look up to Peter Doig, Bernie Fuchs, and Li Penquan.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wendyweistudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendywei.studio/