Artist Profile: Maixia Xiong
Maixia Xiong is a first generation Hmong American artist and designer. She makes art and design for herself and others. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking and Papermaking from UW Madison and her Post Baccalaureate in Media Design from Alverno College.
Her creative practice is multidisciplinary and often combines analog and digital processes. She uses a variety of equipment, tools, and techniques to achieve the desired form of visual art that enhances the stories and experiences she hopes to convey. Zines, artist books, printmaking, graphic design, and multimedia are most frequent in her work. Find her online at maixiaxiong.com or @madebymaixia on Instagram.
What was the first zine or art book you made? Do you remember what it was about and the process making it?
The first ever art book I can remember making was from elementary school. It was a hand-drawn story with cut-out characters on popsicle sticks that traveled between the pages on a journey. I’m pretty sure the main character was a caterpillar waiting to become a butterfly. It was definitely inspired by Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar and the movie A Bug’s Life. My favorite part was tucking all the props into a pocket at the end of the book. Obviously, it was something I made as a child, but it’s definitely a core memory that still impacts my creative practice.
You could say I’ve always been interested in the form and function of books as well as the reader’s experience while engaging with books. It’s why I continued making artist books and as an adult why I started creating zines in all shapes and sizes. What I make is always evolving and my creative practice is quite fluid. I feel free to allow the content to dictate the form just as much as the form can dictate the content. That’s why I think zines and artist books are so expressive. I can make a simple pamphlet for an essay or I can experiment and fold an elaborate form before deciding what story can best be told through that form. The possibilities push me to be endlessly creative.
What is a piece of advice that you often return to?
Measure twice and cut once. Just kidding.
It’s probably not fair to share my own advice, but as a first-generation Hmong American artist, to get to where I am today, I have had to remind myself over and over again that I have permission to be an artist. It has never been appropriate for someone like me to fully give in to the pursuit of making art, especially when it’s art for the sake of making art. Stigmas like ‘it’s a waste of time,’ or ‘art doesn’t make money,’ or even ‘art has to be perfect or beautiful to have meaning,’ are all notions that I challenge. On top of that, there’s also the occasional bout of imposter syndrome. Therefore, what I will always come back to is that I am allowed to make art, I am allowed to make time to engage with the arts and I have permission to be an artist. You can be one too.
What is something special about Wisconsin that you wish more people knew about?
I love going on a trip outdoors, no matter the season, and Wisconsin winters make for some of the most magical outdoor experiences. I’ll never forget the winter when the Apostle Island caves froze over, or the way crashing waves freeze and make crystallized trees by the lakeshore, or even walking on a frozen lake for the first time. I love a candle-lit snowy hike with a bonfire, smores, hot chocolate, and a big pot of chili to warm up afterward. And on a below-freezing day, try making some frozen bubbles just for fun. Winters in Wisconsin are crazy, but also cozy — and often when I make the most art.
What are 2 to 3 exhibitions, concerts, books and/or book talks, spoken word events and/or films you're hoping to check out this season in Wisconsin or virtually?
I’m participating in the AP3 Printmaking Exchange Portfolio, which is a survey of Midwest Printmakers. The project wraps up near the end of summer and I’m looking forward to the accompanying exhibit at Anchor Press, Paper & Print. More information about the exhibit hasn’t been made available yet but I’m excited to see the work that comes from the portfolio.
I’ve also had my eye on the film Didi and I’m currently reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Next on my to-be-read list is The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time by Keith Houston.