May 27 - Friday, June 17
Exhibition Opening: Thursday, May 26, 5–7pm
Exhibition Opening: Thursday, May 26, 5–7pm
@thaoswhatever
thaokieu.com
Thao Kieu
Thao Kieu (b. 1996) is an interdisciplinary artist from South Portland, Maine. Her multimedia work is positioned in conversation with the larger cultural phenomena that blurs the space between art and life. The structure, style, and bold subject matter rouse care and liberation. It’s cathartic for her to create spaces that “aggressively soft scream” her experiences of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and forcing the politics of the personal, sexual and violent. By reflecting the body of her practice as a whole, the common themes of sexual violence and the use of her body as an object critiques gendered power structures that are perpetuated throughout life.
thaokieu.com
Thao Kieu
Thao Kieu (b. 1996) is an interdisciplinary artist from South Portland, Maine. Her multimedia work is positioned in conversation with the larger cultural phenomena that blurs the space between art and life. The structure, style, and bold subject matter rouse care and liberation. It’s cathartic for her to create spaces that “aggressively soft scream” her experiences of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and forcing the politics of the personal, sexual and violent. By reflecting the body of her practice as a whole, the common themes of sexual violence and the use of her body as an object critiques gendered power structures that are perpetuated throughout life.
for the heads in the sand, is that too aggressive?:
Thao Kieu’s practice reflects the objectified representations of her female body, aiming to intertwine the sexual and social normative. Sculptures, specific found objects, self portraiture and video based performance are the materials and formats used to create provocative works to subvert traditional notions of sex and identity. She creates works that are imbued with the body, and uses semiotics of bold colors and vignettes to abstract quotidian life, to break the silence of her childhood incest trauma. These strategies engage in forcing the politics of the personal to disorient and confront debates around gender, power, and the liberty of expression in art and life through her autobiographical works. The body remembers and can articulate traumatic experiences with psychological pain and suffering. She asserts her agency and reclaims the lost power as a child now as a critical independent thinker and maker to advocate having hard conversations around uncomfortable issues relating to sex, the body and violence.
Thao Kieu’s practice reflects the objectified representations of her female body, aiming to intertwine the sexual and social normative. Sculptures, specific found objects, self portraiture and video based performance are the materials and formats used to create provocative works to subvert traditional notions of sex and identity. She creates works that are imbued with the body, and uses semiotics of bold colors and vignettes to abstract quotidian life, to break the silence of her childhood incest trauma. These strategies engage in forcing the politics of the personal to disorient and confront debates around gender, power, and the liberty of expression in art and life through her autobiographical works. The body remembers and can articulate traumatic experiences with psychological pain and suffering. She asserts her agency and reclaims the lost power as a child now as a critical independent thinker and maker to advocate having hard conversations around uncomfortable issues relating to sex, the body and violence.
