We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maggie Wei a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Maggie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
In Asian families, parents send their children to study various talents, but I was only interested in drawing. I was the student who was not good at math and only drew on the books in class. Therefore, I have been exposure to a lot of different art training in the course of my education, and my passion for art has remained unchanged since I was a child.
I majored in Creative Product Design in college, but in the process of studying product design, I gradually realized that there is a huge gap between design and art, and that I have a free-spirited soul, and that I am bored by the norms and formalities of design. I was more interested in creating more possibilities for the art industry than being a product designer. In my definition, product design is more about pleasing human beings, but the concept of art is about challenging human beings.
As a result, I became involved in the art industry which is full of creativity and challenging social issues. I found a job title of “curator” in the art world, and curator was definitely the role I most wanted to take on, where I could work in close proximity with artists to build a space based on social issues. Nowadays, I am also adjusting to the change of my professional role from a designer to a curator. However, I consider all the lessons I have learned throughout my life to be valuable experiences, and despite majoring in product design for many years, I still apply everything I have learned to my future work. For example, the branding and spatial 3D modeling I learned in product design have been very helpful to me in curating art exhibitions. In this age of advanced technology, I believe it is very crucial for me to improve my abilities and learn various skills as a curator.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Maggie Wei ,born in 2001, is a designer and curator in Taiwan. I received my BA degree in Creative Product Design from National Taichung University of Science and Technology. Currently, I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Curatorial Practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where my academic research focuses on feminist art and conceptual art.
During my studies, I dabbled in the art industry and participated in many product design exhibitions. I have been involved in the visual planning and venue design of many art exhibitions, specializing in graphic design, illustration, spatial planning, and women’s issues, also in my spare time I create my own artworks!
Art is a part of my life and I would like to share my experience of growing up as an Asian woman with the public and combine it with my curatorial projects and visual design work.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
When I am creating new artistic ideas or concepts, I look to everyday life experiences for inspiration. In 2023, I am pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Curatorial Practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In my curatorial journey, I aim to disseminate the experience of women in Asian culture and explore the field of feminist art in contemporary art. Women’s issues have always been an important part of my life experience. I grew up in a traditional Taiwanese family, and in Chinese culture, women are taught to be gentle and humble in order to be molded into subordinate to men. This cultural framework makes me want to fight against this notion even more.
In the past few years, I have had some experience in creating visual art and working in commercial galleries, so I wanted to visualize women’s issues and translate them into contemporary curated exhibitions that would allow viewers to immerse themselves in the artistic expression of women’s issues.
In addition, I appreciate the way contemporary female artists have interpreted women’s issues in recent times. They have used irony and fun to clearly explain the situation of women, and since my personal life style is relatively relaxed and simple, I have tried to use this style to transform serious topics into a brighter and warmer art space, and to create a platform for female artists. Making art closer to real life, I think this is also the value I can create as a curator.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
In my opinion, The duty of a curator is to respect and cooperate with the artists, to gain a deep understanding of the personal characteristics and charms of the artists before determining the complete exhibition program, to observe the artists’ creative styles and lifestyles by visiting their studios, and to present these details in the space.
As a curator, the most valuable thing is to convey the romance and passion of the artist to the public, and to make perfect use of the medium to visualize some details of life through sensitive and subtle observation of the artist. However, the role of a curator is like a “mutual friend” that establishes a dialog between the artwork and the space, keeping the artwork close to the public.
I enjoy my role because I like to interact with the public and meet many artists from different backgrounds. The process of communicating with artists is also a refreshing experience on my own spiritual level, they bring me a different perspective on the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://manyuweii.com/
- Instagram: manuweii
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ maggie-wei-curator
- Other: email: [email protected]
