Interview with Rui Sha — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Rui Sha is an interdisciplinary artist who primarily works in the fields of sculpture and new media. She grew up in Beijing and worked as a furniture designer there before moves to Chicago, where she completed an MFA degree in Art and Technology Studies at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Her works usually engage with videos featuring the sounds of nature and objects fabricated in wood, fabric, and other. The natural materials that she brings in become the carriers of everyday experiences and emotional expressions. Her work has been exhibited in places such as Roman Susan (Chicago, IL), Krasl Art Center (St. Joseph, MI), CICA Museum (Gimpo, Korea).

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? and your first experience in art-making?

I’m Rui Sha, an interdisciplinary artist, who grew up in Beijing, China. I’m currently based in Chicago, US. I originally studied furniture design during college and then worked as a graphic designer for a year. I really enjoyed working as a designer but creating and having adventure are deeply rooted in my heart. So then, I decided to quit the job I had as a designer and pursue art as my career. The first experience that I can still remember in art making can be traced back to my childhood when I was around 6 years old. My drawings always got the most compliments among all my classmates, and I won a few art awards during elementary school.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

My artworks are probably the representation of my personal life, which is simple and quiet. But also my process of art-making is intuitive and go with the flow. My artist persona is completely different from who I am in my personal life. Once I switch to the artist mode, I become very outgoing and passionate about my artworks, and I am willing to talk about my art practices for hours and hours.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Most of my works are inspired by my personal experiences, especially from my childhood memories and emotions that I have had. I try to capture those intangible feelings and memories and transform them into touchable and preservable objects.

What emotions do you hope the viewers experience when looking at your art?

Even though all of my artworks are about my personal experience, the way the artworks are interpreted is flexible. My artworks are open to interpretation. Their emotions don’t need to align with my expectation. I hope that my works can be the trigger for them to retrieve their own memories that are fading away.

When do you know that an artwork is finished?

I constantly adjust the concept and visual elements along the way of making the artworks until I don’t know where I can change conceptually and visually. Then I would go to my artist friends, present my works, and ask for critiques. If I manage to answer basically all of their questions or doubts, I know that this artwork is finished. Getting feedback from your artist peers is really important, since artists usually get into their own concepts too much. Sometimes, it can lead to ignoring the most basic mistakes.

What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?

I had a performance in a small town in Michigan, which was the first time my artwork was presented outside of a school setting. I knew none of the audience there, and the environment was entirely new to me. I went to the gallery space for installation before the opening. It took me a few hours to assemble all the parts together. While I was waiting for the opening, an art handler who works in that gallery approached me and said, “I’ve never gone to any of the openings because I already saw all those artworks, but today I’m going to the opening for you, because I haven’t seen it.” That was the first time I felt becoming an artist was the best decision I had ever made.

How long does it take to produce one work?

It depends. I have some works that only took me less than a month to finish. I've also worked on a project for a few months and then realized that it wasn't what I wanted, so I decided to start over. It took almost a year to finish. But in general, it usually takes 2-3 months on average.

What exciting projects are you working on right now? Can you share some of the future plans for your artwork?

I recently discovered a new material that I really love, dust. It exists everywhere in our lives, but we barely value the importance of it. I have a studio space that I share with my friend. Both of us couldn't visit that space often because of the pandemic. So during a phone call, she said, "Our stuff must be covered with dust." It makes me think that dust is actually evidence of human beings' existence because it's composed of human skin. Because only humans in this world can wipe off dust on purpose, the dust also represents the absence of human activity. I'm working on a ceramic sculpture series that hopefully can emphasize this period of time through the dust.