Currently based in St. Louis, emerging artist Catalina Ouyang is the star of ALIVE Wedding’s first fashion editorial, “Dream On,” and although she has no plans to pursue a formal modeling career, her career has an artist is off to a vibrant start.
Photo by Attilio D’Agostino
Age: 23
Occupation: Artist, etc.
Hometown: Hangzhou, China / Chicago, Illinois / Parsippany, New Jersey
When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?
Good question. I grew up drawing and although I was a good student, I disliked school and had little interest in pursuing anything else. The profession seems to have happened to me.
What mediums do you specialize in?
I would not call myself a specialist in anything, and I don’t like material taxonomies—but I have made sculptures, videos, drawings, digital prints and other sorts of objects. I used to paint and sometimes want to do so again, but it’s daunting. All that … history.
What inspires you in your daily life?
That is a complicated question, lately—with many answers. But in terms of the work: my practice is driven in many ways by anger (which I use as an expansive term). So, that. Micro-aggressions, inequities and whitewashing abound.
Who are some artists you look up to?
This changes all the time. I am a bad fan, I think. Off the top of my head, most recently and consistently … Sara VanDerBeek, Lena Henke, Cosima von Bonin, Math Bass, Lindsay Lawson, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. I take pleasure in looking at visual work but maybe/arguably draw my influences more from writing. I always have in mind Anne Carson and Maggie Nelson.
How would you describe your personal style?
Scrappy but self-possessed, hopefully.
What is something that people would be surprised to learn about you?
I was nine and half pounds when I was born. Enormous.