Jenie Gao

Jenie Gao is an artist and printmaker working primarily in the mediums of woodcut and ink drawing. Her work focuses the exchange between familiarity and constant change. She discusses our desire as people to preserve a sense of belonging through the objects we choose to keep, the places we associate ourselves with, and the emblems we found our personalities upon. Objects such as heirlooms from our families or gifts from significant others act as anchor points in our relationships. Sports teams and favorite books or movies shape our tastes and subsequently what we collect, how we represent ...

Jenie Gao is an artist and printmaker working primarily in the mediums of woodcut and ink drawing. Her work focuses the exchange between familiarity and constant change. She discusses our desire as people to preserve a sense of belonging through the objects we choose to keep, the places we associate ourselves with, and the emblems we found our personalities upon. Objects such as heirlooms from our families or gifts from significant others act as anchor points in our relationships. Sports teams and favorite books or movies shape our tastes and subsequently what we collect, how we represent ourselves, and with whom we connect. Often the things people choose to keep will outlast the relationships they stand for, and so in this way begin to speak more for the people who choose to keep them, affecting where people choose to live, their willingness to relocate, and how they move within and organize their homes. The desire to anchor ourselves contrasts with the need to grow amidst inevitably changing surroundings. At the same time, grounding our identities enables us to further grow, in our opportunities to connect with others and be a part of our changing environment.

Jenie Gao received her BFA in Printmaking/Drawing from Washington University in St. Louis. She currently works in art education running a program at a school that has not had art education in several years and has also led several demonstrations of her woodcarving process. Within Milwaukee, she has exhibited her artwork at various venues including Cedar Gallery, Dean Jensen Gallery, the Marshall Building, Caggio, and RedLine. She has also shown in St. Louis and Illinois and has had her work in various publications, most recently the newsletter of SGC International, Graphic Impressions.