Chinese-ish at SooVAC / Anika Schneider ’19

This spring, Anika Schneider ’19 had a solo exhibition, Chinese-ish, at Soo Visual Arts Center. SooVAC offers free year-round exhibition and community programming, exhibiting an average of 150 artists a year.

Schneider was the second artist to participate in our newly funded Launch Program solo exhibition collaboration (see Roshan Ganu '20 from spring 2020). This partnership with SooVAC is built upon the strong foundation of several past collaborative exhibitions with MCAD MFA students. SooVAC itself was started in 2001 by MCAD MFA alum Suzy Greenberg '98 (1968-2012).

Please enjoy this short interview with Schneider:

1. What's your exhibition about? 
   My show Chinese-ish is about familial ancestry, childhood memory, and redefining my identity on my own terms. Chinese-ish is a narrative exhibition that draws on lived experiences, memory, and family history. In my work, I am manipulating and reimagining Chinese imagery through a multimedia approach including painting, monoprint etching, and ceramics in order to translate the visual images that I grew up with to deepen my connection with my ancestors.
2. What inspired you to make this work?
   Attempting to understand and reconnect with my Chinese culture inspired me to make this work. To make this work, I traveled through my memories to childhood, seeking a path to my ancestral lineage to connect with what has been lost. In my practice, I mix culture, tradition, and memory to metaphorically and literally cut and build a narrative space for me and my story to reside. This work also naturally grew out of past projects and work that investigated similar themes. From my past work, I made the transition into making this work which more closely deals with my identity.
3. What was your experience like working with SooVAC as part of the MFA launch program?
   My experience with working with SooVAC was really great. The entire team helped to support me through the whole process. It was an opportunity that was incredibly meaningful to me and that I will continue to cherish. Being able to work with SooVAC on Chinese-ish led to an incredible amount of growth in my practice that I am so thankful for. I am very excited to see how this period of growth will impact my work moving forward.
4. Any other comments/info you want to share?
   Many continued thanks to MCAD MFA and the SooVAC team!