Jennifer Tong Blends Storybook Style With Adult Themes.

I first stumbled across Jennifer Tong’s work at a recent 5-woman show at San Francisco’s 1988 Gallery. The show just ended yesterday, funny enough, but the works of two illustrators, Allison Torneros and Jennifer Tong, stood out above the rest. What those two ladies had that the other three did not have as firm a grasp of was solid technical ability coupled with inventive composition.

Jennifer Tong’s latest “Femme-Bot” series is like a child’s story book gone wrong through the infestation of half-clothed women. Mirror Mirror (above) features rich, contrasting colors, and Purple (below) is fascinating in its awkward fluidity. By using oil paints and watercolors in a way that makes them sometimes representative of crayons and colored pencil, Tong’s art provides a sense of familiar, juvenile comfort to even the most mature of adults.

www.nineteeneightyeight.com
www.jentong.com

Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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