Homage to Caged Chinese American Waiter Sitting in Ashtray
by Nina Kuo
Clay, paint, collage bamboo cage, 17 x 11 inches, 2007

Artist Statement
Bamboo bird cages are common and delightful Chinese folk art decorations but are truly symbolic due to the trapped feeling restaurant workers have with long hours caught living in cages. Their dignified experiences are portrayed with a lit cigarette in waiter’s mouth in an ashtray.

About the Artist
I have worked with many Asian American and multicultural art centers that have helped shape my work as an artist. Art can be most expressive since those identity shocks are softened by my own interpretations. Hope you enjoy this poetic side: “Art is not just being radical or decorative but proving you can reveal your presence through your Art. Art must be purposeful while capturing everything we find very intimate to us”.