Jane Mi

Art is a tool to explore life. As a Chinese-American and a Tibetan Buddhist, I practice art to express and navigate a multi-ethnic perspective, exploring cultural identity through understanding my religious heritage. Art also provides a path for exploring perception itself. As much of my Buddhist practice has been about a continual sense of exploration, I see parallels naturally developing between my meditation and my art. Meditation and art both challenge me to break through the constructs of habitual patterns, both perceptual and social, and constantly revisit the relationship between subject and object without solidification. Trained as an engineer, I have cultivated the analytic precision of the left-brain, while the panoramic awareness cultivated in meditation and art has introduced me to more holistic and intuitive qualities. In exploring the dynamic interplay of mind’s qualities, I seek a transcendent artistry that relies on both precision and intuition.  It has been fascinating as an artist to explore the mechanics of mind: the dynamic interplay between subject and object that raises questions about selfhood, materiality, and perception. The theme of bridging the gap is explored through my interest in developing a contemporary Buddhist art that speaks to Buddhism's adaptation over cultures. Currently, the practice of Buddhist art has not been developed in full to reflect a contemporary mutli-ethnic perspective such as my own. Most Buddhist art (even contemporary) still reflects a distinctly Eastern perspective. I employ Buddhist concepts in contemporary presentations with various media to articulate a multi-ethnic approach to this religious culture. Ultimately, I seek a marriage of ancient and modern techniques, Eastern and Western perspectives, that reflects the conditions of my own identity as a Chinese-American and a Tibetan Buddhist, while exploring the intricacies of human perception.