We were lucky to catch up with Mai Yap recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mai, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Being an artist is already very difficult but being a Chinese artist in Miami is even more so. Miami is known to be the closest “country” to be United States where we find a true melting pot of multiple nationalities but very few Asians. In my native country of Panama, the Chinese community has a long story that dates to the 1800s and is so well established that it is said, that every Panamanian household has a “Chinito” (little Chinese) in the family! Even though discrimination exists until today, the emotional effects are minimal.
In Miami, most of the time I find myself being the only Asian in the room. At the beginning I felt intimidated and sad because I couldn’t find a community. Not even other Panamanian artists! I remember that one of my first group shows took place in Futurama 1637, a Cuban artists hub located in historic Little Havana among the cigar stores and Latin food restaurants with salsa music overflowing in every corner. On the night of the opening, I was very aware of how different I looked. But all the barriers melted when they heard me speak fluent Spanish. Many approached me to tell me “how much I reminded them of their little sister’s friend from high school or their beloved nanny”. I was surprised to see how a happy childhood memory made them feel. I felt ecstatic! I slowly realized that this fortunate affinity happened in all the countries with Asian immigration: Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Brazil. Peru, Argentina, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Out of a sudden, artists from 10 countries became my community!
Most importantly, one needs to irradiate confidence that comes from a loving family, the assurance of a job well done and the pride of being honest. All those concepts were shattered in 2020 when the Covid 19 virus was called “the China Virus”. Again, we were being discriminated against, just because of the way we look. Only this time, the abuses came with great verbal and physical violence. For me the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting was the drop that overflowed the cup. I started to reconsider my identity, my roots and what it meant to be an Asian woman in the United States. A whole new series of work was born out of this exploration. “Reflection of Awakening” aims to dig deeper into my feelings and represent the process of finding one’s true self. This time, I used water lilies and lotus leaves to symbolize one’s state of mind, In Buddhism lotus is often a sign of peace, grace and strength. These large-scale paintings intend to bring awareness of racism towards Asians and the truth that it is happening as often and with the same intensity as with other minorities.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
The road to get where I am today has been long, full of exciting adventures and difficult challenges. When I moved from Panama to the US, I didn’t know what to do with my life. I had a degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and 3 years of experience as a copywriter and junior creative director. But I wanted something more. Once settled in Miami, I went back to school to study fashion design while travelling back and forth to Panama to sell women’s fashion out of my parent’s home. Later on, I opened a bakery that got destroyed by Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, the same year my daughter was born. The miracle of her birth changed everything. The air seemed lighter and life a little bit fuller. That is when I decided to dedicate myself to creating art.
During the next 20 years I taught myself how to paint by depicting close-up flowers using traditional brushes and later, how to utilize the palette knives to paint landscapes, seascapes and abstracts. I was blessed to pass my knowledge to hundreds of talented students as an art instructor at Fairchild Botanical Gardens for 13 years.
One of my proud achievements is the art group Palette Knife Artists of Miami, the only group of its kind in Florida. For 11 years, its mission has been to bring awareness to a planet in need through art.
As artists, I believe we are in a unique position to influence our society. With so much at stake right now, we must take a stance for the betterment of our society. There are 3 topics that constantly occupy my mind: conveying an urgency to the preservation of our planet, exploration of my Chinese, Panamanian and American identity and reproductive justice, specifically menopause.
This year has been one of transformation from commercial to conceptual artist. I have been exploring my identity by developing installations that answer the question: ‘What was in my house that wasn’t in yours?”.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Discipline, curiosity and resilience. To succeed as an artist, one must be able to plan and stick to it. It could be as simple as committing to painting 4 hours a day or to starting your day at 10am every day. One must be able to dream, question everything and see the world through a child’s mind. Most importantly, is to accept failure and learn from them.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
If I knew I only had 10 years to live, I would hurry up! The number one challenge for me is having enough time. Time to think quietly, to create and take care of the business of art. I would ask myself “How can I make a real difference in society?”, “How can I further support and love the people around me” and most importantly ” How can pass my knowledge and create a valuable legacy?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maiyap.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maiyapfineart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaletteKnifeArtist/
Image Credits
All pictures are mine
