Jenny Eng: In your artist statement you talk about how you see reality as a hyperreality, and that you're fascinated by the basic building blocks of reality. How does this manifest in your “Aesthetic Compounds” pieces?

Cathy Lo: What is “real” is subject to interpretation. I am a dreamer and I enjoy the dramatic and fantastic. Art making allows me to immerse myself in my own world and create characters and situations that are larger than life. My reality is an expansion of my imagination. On my breathing canvas, anything I dream can be made real.

Escapium, 2007, acrylic and silkscreen ink on wood, 30 x 30 in

JE: You talk about how the aesthetic beauty and elegance of science has influenced your work, and therefore changed your conception of yourself. Are there any particular scientists whose work you admire? Why?

Einstein. Reading his biography has deepened my awareness of how art and science are so closely intertwined and how important they are to the creativity of the human mind. I particularly love his sense of humor and playfulness. His quotes are all very inspiring, too. Here are a few of my favorite ones:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
“Gravity is not responsible for people falling in love.”
“If you want your children to be brilliant, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be really brilliant, read them more fairy tales.”

Insectium, 2006, acrylic and silkscreen ink on wood, 30 x 30 in

JE: Who are the artists you admire most and why?

There are so many but the one that really inspired this body of work and gave me the confidence to be an artist is Henry Darger. He was one of those reclusive outsider artists who created and inhabited an imaginary world through extensive writings, paintings, and drawings. His inner life was probably more eventful and satisfying than most people. There are so many qualities about him that I admire and strive to have. Learning about his life made me realize the most intriguing kind of work comes from pure inner vision and it doesn't have to response to any trends in the art world.

Lo selects the film for silkscreening

Adriana de Barros: It looks like you are creating human formulas—discovering scientific equations to represent real life situations. Is this a new language?

I guess you can say that. It's a personal language that I use to describe myself and express my experiences. I immigrated from Taiwan to the United States when I was 12 years old so I never got really good with either Chinese or English. The only languages I am fluent in are the mathematical and visual language. The formula used in my work is a natural combination of the two.

Selects film and registration

JE: What is the process involved with creating one of your paintings from conception to completion?

The process has two phases. The first phase is ideation — I do all my concept development and sketches in Photoshop and illustrator. I can usually resolve a lot of the design issues during this first phase. Once the design is solidified, I move into the production phase. The production phase can be very time consuming and labor intensive. I have to create a transparency film for each image that I intend to print, make a silkscreen, printed it, and then eradicate the screen so I can create a new stencil for a new image. You have to be very calm and methodical during this process so you don't screw up. The overall experience is quite mesmerizing and the result is always surprising. The final physical piece always looks so much better than the digital sketch!

Adds paint for print

AdB: When I look at your art it reminds me of DNA, each piece has its own set of blueprints. Can you define visually or as a whole what your DNA/chemical connotation is?

Sure. Here is the breakdown of the syntax.

JE: I love the concept of the “Episodic Table” and would love for you to walk us through one of your paintings and explain it in context to your life, breaking down the symbology of the scientific notations.

Episode table is made out of aesthetic compounds. These aesthetic compounds represent the building blocks of my identity. Each compound or element illustrates a particular facet of my personality, a story, a moment, a condition, or a possibility, etc...

For example, Escapium [Es] was inspired by a tear shedding “moment” shared between me and my mom when the Beatle's “Octopus' Garden” came on during a Cirque du Soliel show. It is the first compound in the "moment" category so it has the category number of “1”. The number “15” in front of the notation means it is the 15th compound in the series. The story is about escaping from reality, living in an undersea fantasy world that's sensational and joyful. It is summarized in two short phrases placed next to the compound chronological number.

You can refer to the above diagram to see how the components work together.

Front view of Escapium

JE: At times I see creatures that are half-animal, half-human in your artwork—who or what do these represent?

These are characters in my world. Sometimes they are me and my girlfriend, sometimes they are members of my family, and sometimes they are my imaginary friends. I am not a very good illustrator so I use whatever I can find to tell the story. I think of myself primarily as a collage artist and I have a huge library of vintage illustrations and I like to use them in my work. I would manipulate these pre-existing drawing and put them in a new context to create new meanings. I usually don't have a specific idea how my characters will look like before I start sketching. How they end half-animal and half-human is a mystery. If you just go with the flow and let your subconscious mind take over, magical things will happen.

Insomnium, 2007, acrylic and silkscreen ink on wood, 30 x 30 in

JE: I also see two recurrent characters—who are they and what do they symbolize? What is their interaction with the creatures above?

These two characters are me and my girlfriend, soul mates lost in romantic bliss forever. They symbolize our dreams and aspirations and they remind us of our freedom and nonchalant spirit.

Their interactions with the creatures are different from painting to painting. For Insomnium, the creature you see in the painting is our cat, Cybil. She would lick us every night until one of us wakes up to feed her. She is extremely annoying but I find her behaviors really amusing. I guess cats are weird that way and that's why we don't get along.

Beautium, 2006, acrylic and silkscreen ink on wood, 30 x 30 in

AdB: Your collage-illustrations have a strong sense of character design and they look to be portrayed in a Victorian style. Other than your family-related inspirations, what else has influenced this series?

Fashion and design trends. Victorian-inspired style was really in for a while. I love the stunning glitz and glamour from that era. I am also very inspired by the art that came out of that period because they are often a hybrid of fact and fantasy and they are romanticized as “better times”. They are about the emotions that appeal to the heart. It resonate with my philosophy because I bring my heart to every piece of art I make. I believe the best kind of art comes from the heart, not the head.

Rinses screen

AdB: You are using decorative patterns such as “fleur de lys” and other scrolled shapes—inspired by wallpaper, costumes and old-fashion furniture found in your family’s old photos. By using these patterns does it allow you to stop time for a brief moment, and go back into the past to reconnect with love ones?

Definitely, especially with my mom, She was really into vintage gold leaf french style furniture and pretty much anything that's ornately flourishing in design. As you can see in the photograph below, growing up I was surrounded by all kinds of decorative patterns. I think they are chaotic in a beautiful kind of way — maybe that's why I am not afraid to wear clashing patterns.

AdB: It’s funny that you have really direct and weird sub-titles on each art piece, e.g. “strangely tiny”, “exquisitely tiny”, “always lethargic”, “insanely narcissistic”, and “mystically sensational”. I know that you are not a tall person, but some of the other phrases are leaving me in suspense. Are these things people say to you, or are they merely a self-conscious reflection?

Some are things people have said to me and some are ways I would describe myself. I know there is a natural tendency for graphic designers to over communicate but I think words are just as powerful as images when telling a story and that's why I like to use them in my work to enhance narrative richness.

JE: I’m also aware of the fact that Chinese was your primary language, so are any of these statements direct translations of Chinese phrases? If so, is there a reason why you’ve not used the actual Chinese on your art?

No. None of the pieces in this series are translations of Chinese phrases but like Chinese characters, each aesthetic compound is like a pictogram that represents a concept.

AdB: You’ve stated: “I never fit the socially prescribed pattern of ladylike behavior”. Do you consider yourself an androgynous person? How is this mirrored in your daily interaction with others?

I was much more masculine when I was a kid. I would cry every time I was forced to wear a dress and wasn't interested in playing with dolls at all. Gender and sexuality are fluid and difficult to define with precision. I believe we have the freedom to transform and mold ourselves into whoever we want to be. I love to experiment so I don't like to associate myself with any labels. I think people appreciate that about me.

AdB: Do you have role models? People who have helped you understand who you are and encouraged you to be yourself? If so, who are they?

There are so many people in my life that I look up to but finding your own voice is a solitary journey. Solitude is necessary for cultivating individual uniqueness. It fuels the imagination and it inspires. I feel very fortunate having my girlfriend in my life because she really encourages me to express my opinions and shine in anyway I want.

AdB: Are you happy?

Depending on the moment but usually yes after a drink or two. Interesting you bring that up because no one has asked me that question in a long time. My grandma used to ask me that question and my response to her was always, "Our last name means happiness so how can I not be happy?"