My name is Yongqi Tang, and I am a painter. Born and raised in Shenzhen, China, I moved to Seattle in 2015 to attend college and later earned both my BA and MFA from the University of Washington. Over the years, Seattle has become my second home. I’ve gone through many stages of identity transformation—arriving as an international student fresh off the boat, gradually finding a community, adapting to a new cultural landscape, and establishing myself as an artist. My artistic practice has accompanied this evolution, reflecting and investigating the ongoing process of finding a sense of belonging. In addition, my work is also rooted in questions of femininity and the lived experience of having a female body.

I have been interested in painting and drawing’s capacity to encapsulate time. The narrative quality of painting suggests the potential of an “upcoming moment” which will never happen. In addition to narrative and storytelling, I am exploring other ways to capture the presence of time within an image, such as repeating forms to suggest movement, and leaving behind erased or partial marks that trace the process of seeing through time.

I recently read a quote by Lynne Tillman on Amy Silman:

I relate to this a lot as the emphasis of my works lies in the relationship between me and the world, how I process lived experiences like diaspora, bodily trauma, and intimacy. This understanding continues to shift and my works are the visual responses to the ongoing transformation. I have also been experimenting with formal elements such as scale, composition, color, and surface in hopes of making stronger formal and conceptual coherence.

I create out of an urge to be completely honest with myself. For me, art mirrors life but still allows some distance, so I could have the courage to confront reality, which gives me a sense of agency. I think, a good artist is also often a good observer, and what keeps me moving forward is the desire to be a committed observer, not just of the color and forms, but also of dailiness, which encompasses uncertainties, absurdity, joy and sadness. I also like the intellectual challenges of making—it’s so empirical and unpredictable that it doesn’t fall into the category of conventional wisdom.

When I received this award, I was applying for my green card, teaching at different schools and making new works all at once. It was very stressful because of the instability of adjuncting and the attorney expenses. I am immensely grateful to receive this award—not only did it ease some of that financial burden, but the recognition also supported my visa application. (for those who don’t know, immigrant artists have to work extremely hard to prove they are qualified to remain in the US). The impact of this award continues to resonate, as it has played a meaningful role in helping me stay here.

Thank you for what you do for local artists! When I was still an art student at UW, one of the first resources that was introduced to me was Artist Trust. At that time, I didn’t know how to become a professional artist, and didn’t even imagine it. Artist Trust has provided me with a platform to explore career opportunities, workshops, and events, which made it possible for me to become and grow as a professional artist. Please keep doing what you are doing, especially the workshops, I am sure many new artists will benefit from that.