Stella Lai October 15, 2005

...In her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, Chinese born artist, Stella Lai will be presenting ?I See Your Problem, But I Don?t See You.? For this exhibition Lai will take a departure from her former work of semi-autobiographical characters and narratives and present a new body of work. Focusing on traditional Chinese art and painting, the work is fused together with her reaction to the pornography and prostitution industry prevalent in contemporary Chinese culture. Lai?s exhibition will include gouache paintings on panel of traditional Chinese imagery alongside a paper cut wall installation depicting female silhouettes and flowers. Each painting, rich in graphic sensibility, is lush with color and detail taken from Chinese references, such as decorative tile patterns, cherry blossom and chrysanthemum flowers and the subtle revelations of the female figure. Critical of the exotification and exploitation of Asian women, Lai incorporates the female figure as a response by someone who not only is protective and intrigued by the sexually charged imagery, but also by a woman who understands the culture from which they are a part of. Through her work, Lai questions the contradictions between traditional value and modernization specifically influenced by Western society. ?I See Your Problem, But I Don?t See You? presents an idea of being lost in translation, where at once what seems obvious is blurred by cultural and societal contradictory messages.