Yowshien Kuo

Site: Carrillo Western Wear

St. Louis artist Yowshein Kuo exhibits a new suite of paintings on clothing and materials sourced and presented in Mexican Western Gear retailer, Carrillo Western Wear. This new body of work blends into the store’s trope-heavy context prodding questions of assimilation, solidarities among minority positions, and the over-determination of cultural signifiers of American masculinity.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Yowshien Kuo was raised between St. Louis, Missouri and Hsin Puu, a rural mountain town in Taiwan. To separate this experience from his artistic practice possesses a challenge, as the two are inter-dependent. The idiosyncratic experience informs artistic language and objectives. Living with a separation of cultural and familial normalcy presented implicit barriers by way of socioeconomic, racial, and cultural stereotype that had impact on his identity as an artist. Bestowing an inescapable conflict that provided outputs to challenge definitions, traditions, and culture customs in an effort to understand the reality in which he occupied. In response, Yowshien has employed cultural examination in his visual artistic practice to unravel personal identity and navigate conflicting social narratives.

As of 2019, Yowshien became a co-owner of Monaco, an artist-owned gallery in Saint Louis City. His first 2019 exhibition, “Too Good To Be True” at LVL3 in Wicker Park, Chicago, was a two-person show whose work reflects on symbolic histories to reframe the seemingly familiar. His work is heavily centered on painting but incorporates printmaking, new media, sculpture, and installation. He currently holds teaching appointments at Washington University, Fontbonne University, Maryville University, and St. Louis Community College in Saint Louis.