CHOU
Human. Does not like to call herself artist. Paper, mixed media (also textile). Female, comes from Taiwan but moves around, active since 2003
I have spent 16 months on consecutive residencies in Taiwan and USA. I am applying for other residencies. Australia for Jan-March. I applied for San Francisco for before Australia but I don’t not know yet if I got it. If I don’t get it I will just stay in Taiwan, rent a house, work as a translator or interpreter (French). After studying [in France] I went back to Taiwan and worked a while at the Paper Museum (it is a very small private museum). Had a studio there but it was all the time open – so it was really as a ZOO. And I also taught kids there how to make and work with paper..
I don’t want to sell my art. It’s ok the way it is. I will keep going like this, doing residencies for maybe 3 more years. I will see later what happens next.
I spend maybe 150$ for material every month and maybe 250$ for food, movies, going out. I don’t have an apartment or studio in Taiwan right now. When I am in Taiwan I stay at my parents place. I have a health plan. It costs 20$ per month. You pay in the hospital as well but not that much.
Retirement plan – in Taiwan it exists only for functionaries, teachers etc. Everybody else has no such thing, the family, mostly the children, have to provide.
WORKING TIMES
I work the whole day. I wake up at 7.30, start work at 8am, I work till 8pm or 9pm than I maybe take a beer then I go to bed. I spend maybe 2 days per month for organizing and applying. I take a day off sometimes. I take vacation every year. I go to the beach, to other countries like Japan or USA.
I don’t really feel the art world is gender specific but I feel that it is right now easier as an Asian, that the market now “prefers” Asian. So that if you are Chinese or Japanese or me as Taiwanese it is easier to get some residences.
Vermont, April 18, 2006