153. Jennifer Ling Datchuk on "Eat Bitterness" and Exploring Fragility, Femininity, Identity, and Personal History through Art

In China, the phrase “to eat bitterness” means to persist through
hardship without complaint. Artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk used the
idiom to title her collection of new and recent work, comprising
ceramics, textiles, video and other mediums. Datchuk is a
Texas-based artist of Irish and Chinese ancestry.


In this conversation with Maria Corpuz, she discusses her work,
which explores the intersections of her own identity, as well as
the role of women and global labor inequality. Through material
culture, the history of craft, and by championing the handmade,
Datchuk challenges the social, political, and cultural systems
that continue to hold women back. “Eat Bitterness” is on display
at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts through September 17.