In December 2018, I spent two weeks at Rob Dunn Lab at North Carolina State University learning about the microbial activity of sourdough bread. Researchers sampled sourdough starters from over 500 bakers from all over the world and genetically determined the species of microbes present in each sample. This global sampling on sourdough starters also surveyed the climate, home or kitchen environment, traits of the baker, and grain characteristics in order to compare the plethora of factors that determine which species of microbes exist in different starters.

I became interested in sourdough first and foremost because it is delicious and I love carbs, especially from Cellar Door Provisions. Secondary to that, it was a perfect storm of:

* A small obsession with fermentation that I partially attribute to chronic digestive issues and partially attribute to a love of the science of fermentation. I majored in biology in college before eventually switching to art amidst the 20-year-old life crisis that I think is all too common.

*Finding Medieval illustrations of sourdough bread. There is no end to how much I love medieval illuminations, from medieval cats, to knights fighting snails, to this bat, to people looking bored while sporting a sword through their head.

*Finding multitudes of similarities between sourdough bakers and printmakers from the way we approach process to the way we network. As a printmaker who primarily works within etching and woodcut, I am utilizing printing methods that date back thousands of years ago, and I recognize the the passion and respect that sourdough bakers have for these original techniques and raw materials. Talking to bakers I know, reading sourdough recipes, and binge listening to The Sourdough Podcast, made me realize that they way which these bakers talked about their proofing methods were very similar to how printmakers talk about their printing methods. We all have our own specific combination of part-science/part-intuition, and a baker knows their loaf like a printer knows their block, plate, or stone.

For the longest time I have had a dream of combining science, art, and food, so without further ado, I present The Sourdough Book, a year and a half in the making!

“Sourdough”
Artist Book with etching, chine colle, and letterpress
6 x 4 inches, closed dimensions
Edition: 28
2020

E-mail RaeleenKao@gmail.com for inquiries.

The following images are of the etching process (click on images to enlarge)

The following images are of the finished book! (click to enlarge)

Thank you so much to Rob Dunn and sourdough project researchers Erin McKenney and Lauren Nichols, Angee Lennard for bookbinding instruction, and grants from Luminarts Cultural Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Further thanks to Jennifer Page at Cape Fear Press for steel-facing my plates, Martin Mazorra at Cannonball Press for helping me with the book text, and AS IF Center for facilitating this collaboration with Rob Dunn Lab and the Sourdough Project.

The Witch is Inside of Me

“The Witch is Inside of Me”

Artist book with hand-colored intaglio and letterpress

Edition:  20

E-mail RaeleenKao@gmail.com for purchase inquiries

//Project Description//

This year I was invited to be a visiting artist for Spudnik Press‘ publishing program.  For years I have been interested in producing an artist book based on paper doll chains (read about my use of doll imagery here) and using the book format as a conduit for my narrative subject matter.  It was an honor to be invited to Spudnik Press and I am thankful for the numerous skilled friends and colleagues who have helped me achieve my goals with this project (credits at the end).

//Artist Statement//

I started this book as a letter to my childhood self and the overwhelming number of women and men who were raised the way I was.  I was taught from birth that purity was one of the greatest assets that a woman should possess. This childhood education on gender roles was further enforced by western European cautionary tales that condemned female sexuality and punished disobedience to a parent or husband with deadly consequences.  These stories collectively defined young women as weak, fault-ridden beings whose salvation lay in the hands of men while older, knowledgeable women with power were cast as the face of evil. As a child, I obsessed over these stories and I always gravitated toward the princess, the obedient daughter, the undeniable protagonist in a world constructed with definite good and evil.

When I grew older, I learned that these principles were a combined reflection of my western-centralized and antiquated conservative Asian upbringing.  The roles of good and evil are much more fluid in other parts of the world. In Eastern European stories, Baba Yaga can be depicted as an evil witch or a kind old woman.  African and Native American cultures utilize the trickster archetype, which is neither defined by good nor evil. In East Asian ghost stories, which I was unfamiliar with for the first two decades of my life, spirits are often neutral or just mischievous.  Equally as common are malicious spirits who are often women whom have died from unnatural causes and are seeking vengeance toward those who have wronged them. In Chinese folklore, the nu gui (female ghost) harms men but only scares women. While western religions demonized witchcraft, many other cultures considered it to be a fundamental part of their medicinal practice.

This book upends the nefariousness attributed to curiosity, sexuality, and disobedience in females and imbues the characters who raised me with power by embracing the corruptible, dual-faced nature within all of us.

//Documenting process//

Using the plasma cutter to cut shaped copper plates

Below is a video of the plasma cutter *flame emoji*

Below is a video of submerging the plate into a Ferric Chloride bath.  Everywhere the copper is exposed (the drawn lines) will be etched with ferric, and those etched recesses will be able to hold ink.  Most of these videos are taken from my Instagram stories, so I apologize for the video quality and distracting text.

Spit bite is an aquatint process of directly applying acid to the plate (not using a bath) video shown below:

Below is a video of printing these etchings double-sided

Thank you so much to Laura Prieto-Velasco (Hvnter-Gvtherer) for bringing me as a visiting artist at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and allowing access to the plasma cutter, Jennifer Melby for steel-facing my copper plates, Amanda Cheung for helping me with Adobe Illustrator, because I am almost utterly incompetent when it comes to anything digital, and Jessica Robles for saving my butt with her recommendation of Koi watercolors.

Last but foremost, Angee Lennard from Spudnik press, who is a true force of nature in the amount of work she is able to accomplish and who I have indefinite respect for.  Thank you for inviting me to be a part of an amazing printmaking institution.  Her input, technical skill, patience, and professionalism for the duration of these four months have made this project one of the best experiences of my career.

xoxo,

Raeleen

The Art of Breastfeeding

Modern Narratives of Motherhood

MF Gallery
213 Bond St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Opening Reception this Saturday, March 10
7-10 PM

Exhibition runs March 10 – April 22.  Following the opening reception, the gallery will be open by appointment.  Please contact info@MFGallery or (917) 446-8681

“In honor of International Women’s Month, MF Gallery is hosting an art show that explores the joys, challenges, and body-politics of breastfeeding and motherhood in the 21st century.”
-Exerpt from the Facebook Event Page

This group exhibition was curated by Leigh Pennebaker, founder of the instagram account @breastfeedingart and Martina Secondo Russo of MF Gallery.  I will be present at the opening reception, if you are in the area please come say hello!  Scroll down for images of the prints I will have available through MF Gallery.  Inquiries for purchase can be made through info@MFGallery.net
A portion of all proceeds will benefit La Leche League

This exhibition also features work by:  Nicoz Balboa, Christa David, Jess Dobkin, Debbies Grahl, Marina Font, Geertje Geertsma, Aimee Gilmore, Jenna Gribbon, Samantha Hahn, Sigal Arad Inbar, Kasey Jones, Lucy Knisley, Rachel Marcotte, Tara McPherson, Anna Melo, Jenny Middleton, April Rose, Martina Secondo Russo, Debra Sheldon, SWOON, Lexx Valdez, Anna Wiggins, Megan Wynne

CURE

The first of two new prints I made for this exhibition is the etching, Cure.  There is a long record of the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and child, including antibodies in breast milk that fight off viruses and bacteria; a lowered risk of breastfed infants developing asthma and allergies; and fewer reports of respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and digestive issues.  Last year in Sweden, a protein called alpha-lactalbumim, which is present in breast milk, was discovered to transform into a cancer-fighting compound when present in the gut.  The substance has already been recorded to produce tumor cell death in bladder cancer and is currently being studied for bowel and cervical cancer as well.

NO NECTAR MORE DIVINE

Two variations available

8 layer reduction woodcut with hand-painted gold
10 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
Edition:  10
2018

$250
Contact info@MFGallery.net for purchase

8 layer reduction woodcut with hand-painted gold
7 1/2 inches x 5 3/4 inches
Edition:  10
2018
$250
Contact info@MFGallery.net for purchase

The second new print is a woodcut, No Nectar More Divine (Below).  In Greek mythology, Paean was a physician to the gods and used a peony root to heal Hades in Homer’s Odyssey.  Medieval medicine used the root and seeds of the peony to cure a variety of diseases and even snake bites.  Peony root necklaces were given to children to prevent epilepsy because of its antispasmodic qualities and to help teething pain.  White peony extract is still used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Please email RaeleenKao@gmail.com with any inquiries or visit Frozencharlottepress.etsy.com

New Mexico Whiptails

New Mexico Whiptails are an all-female species of lizard which is able to reproduce through parthenoenesis.  Despite the species ability to reproduce asexually, New Mexico Whiptail lizards will still engage in mating rituals, and are nicknamed,”lesbian lizards.”

This etching is a reproduction of a graphite drawing I made and decided to make into an etching after-the-fact.  This essentially meant I had to re-draw it three times.

Black Salve

Black Salve is a controversial topical cancer treatment marketed as an alternative to surgery or radiation.  As an escharotic, it burns through skin tissue and is used to target conditions such as melanoma.  The effectiveness of this treatment is questionable, due to the inability to guarantee that all of the cancerous cells have been removed.  Additionally, use of black salve has been documented to cause serious scarring, burns, and open wounds.

One of the ingredients in black salve is extract from the plant Bloodroot, a poisonous emetic.  The flower gets its name from the red color of its juices, and the seeds are spread by ants.

Milk and Oleander

Both this etching and the previous etching, Black Salve, are part of a series of prints and drawings I’ve been working on this year entitled, “Poetics of Blood and Milk.”  I will provide a more in depth description once I release the series of drawings, but it is based on the antiquated idea that damage to the breast from cancer, or removal of breast tissue from mastectomies and lumpectomies also caused breast milk to go rancid or pass the cancer to the nursing infant.

Oleander is one of the most poisonous, commonly grown plants and damages the central nervous system, the heart, and the gastrointestinal system.  Extracts from Oleander were once used in experimental cancer treatments, where it was proven ineffectual on cancer cells while causing serious adverse side effects to the patients.  The plant can become unruly if not pruned and is tolerant of poor soil quality as well as frost.  It was the first plant to bloom on the site of Hiroshima after it was bombed in 1945.

This etching is printed in three earth tones:  The first is a pale yellowish brown in the area of the breast, the second is a warm reddish brown where the breast and flowers are drawn, and the final plate is a cool dark brown where the hair and heavier shadows fall.

More coming soon

I believe the last time I wrote a post was in January, so brace yourself for a post where I get really sappy and cry too much.

It’s been a year since I acquired my Charles Brand etching press aka my baby girl.  This year has been such a blur, and has been amazing in so many ways, mostly in the form of traveling and bringing my work to cities I have never been to before.  In an effort to prevent this from turning into a giant eyeball-hemorrhaging wall of text, I’ll keep this post to a recap of my travels.  I’ll save exhibition announcements and new work for a future post.

In the spring I was a publisher at Southern Graphics Council in Atlanta and a vendor at It Came From the Bayou in Houston.  Thank you to everyone who came out to both of these events.  It’s always great to meet new printmakers, fellow printers who I’ve only interacted with through social media, and reconnect with friends and colleagues I haven’t seen in years.  If I ever question why I chose such a stress-inducing career path, I remember how y’all warm my cold, dead heart with your company, support of my work, comments about my eating habits and by telling me how cute my cat is on Instagram.  Also thank you to my friend Tim, who will probably not read this, but who always has to deal with my mental-breakdowns in that one bar on Western after I return to Chicago and get hella postpartum-y.  And while I’m at it, thank you to my friend George, who will also probably not read this, but who has to put up with my constant angst, and once tricked me into thinking Warby Parker used to print all of their receipts by hand.

Here are some highlights from my visit to Detroit and Connecticut.

Hammonasset Hideout Woodcuts

In August, I worked with Martin Mazorra at his new print shop location in Connecticut where I also ate a lot of fried seafood and ice cream.  Two of my 4-color reduction woodcuts are now available for purchase here, and two black and white prints will be released through Cannonball Press later this fall.  I can’t thank Martin enough for working 16 hour days in the studio with me every day this week.  It’s extremely difficult for me to find another human being who is willing to match my work ethic.  *high five with reflex blue stained hands*

These prints are also known as the-prints-of-many-R-Kao-firsts.  First letterpress prints.  First MDF cutz.  First Vandercook prints.  First monoprinting.

Rejection Hurts

Inspired by OG sexter John Donne’s poem “the Flea”

Poor little flea.  Spoiler alert:  It dies.

Useless facts about me:  1.  I love serifs.  2.  I love color prints which don’t have a black layer.  3.  I once had a dream where I was arguing with someone about whether 3-color or 4-color prints were better.  If that’s not proof I don’t have a life, I don’t know what is.

Available HERE.

Mourning Eyes

“Mourning Eyes” is based off of paintings and jewelry that Victorians exchanged with one another and the fact that they were all going to die of TB.  This print started with the image of a lover’s or mourning eye, which were small paintings of eyes exchanged between lovers or friends during the Victorian era, combined with the memento mori hair jewelry also exchanged during that time period.  Many people are familiar with the Victorian romanticism of death, but their obsession with death grew out of society’s need to address high mortality rates from widespread diseases like tuberculosis.  I’ve also always been fascinated by death masks, but chose a more iconic mask shape to use in its stead.  The narrative I had in mind while making this print was of a woman who had many lovers, all now deceased.

I have two versions, one on pink paper, and one on white.  Available HERE.

Girl, I’ll Cover You

For one week in April, I was invited to be a visiting artist for a week at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit by professor Tyanna Buie where I worked with performance artist Chanel Matsunami Gidrea on a printmaking performance piece which debuted at Holding House, an amazing exhibition space in Detroit.

During our stay, we collaborated on woodcuts and screen prints which we used in a 45 minute long performance piece at Holding House.  The performance was a part of Power of the Press Fest organized by Signal Return.  I cannot thank professor Tyanna Buie, cellist Cecelia Sharpe, violinist Clara Hardie, Andrea Eckert and Adrienne Dunkerly at Holding House, and of course my collaborator Chanel for making this performance as successful as it was.

In addition to working on this project, Chanel and I were able to spend the week giving artist talks and working in the studios with the students.  Engaging with these students each day was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had as a professional artist.  I still miss and love you, CCS students.  Even if you did make fun of my dated slang.

For a full project description and more images from our performance, please click here.

The last day of our stay as visiting artists, the Power of the Press Fest held a steam roller event at Detroit’s Eastern Market where I demonstrated how to roll up a block while eating a pizza in true R. Kao classy AF teaching fashion.

Thank you all!  Please keep posted for updates SOON on what I’m currently working on as well as upcoming exhibitions.

A pretty quick post about the last etching I made in 2016.  I mainly just wanted to post the video beneath, so be sure to turn the volume up, because there are few noises that are sexier than the paper coming off of a juicy aquatinted plate.  This image is a mash-up of Greek gorgons, cyclopes, mythological monsters in general, Victorian Lover’s eyes, and Memento Mori.  I made this etching to go along with three graphite drawings in a similar vein which are named after the three Gorgon sisters.  Edition of 8, $200 each.  Purchase Here.

“Gorgon”
Black and white etching
Image: 6 x 6 inches
Paper: 11 x 11 inches
Edition: 8
2016
$200

The video below is a print being pulled.  🙂

I love plants.  I really love plants.  If I didn’t have such a rambunctious force of destruction masquerading as a domestic cat, my little studio apartment would be exploding with greenery.  The first plant I bought when moving to Chicago was a Hoya plant and in an open admission of bad parenting, I play favorites.  My sister recently killed her money tree plant, and for Christmas I made her this etching:  A plant that could not be killed.  Edition of 11, e-mail RaeleenKao@gmail for purchase.

The first step is applying a hard-ground acid resist to the copper plate.  The image is drawn through the acid resist, exposing the copper underneath.  In order to capture all the detail, I use a pair of jeweler’s glasses on top of my day-to-day Coke-bottle lenses.

The entire plate is submerged in acid, which bites into the drawn lines.

Tone in etching is applied by dusting a plate with powdered rosin to create a random dot pattern, which is heat-fused to the plate and also acts as an acid resist.

Ink is applied to the plate, and transferred to pre-soaked paper under the high pressure of the etching press.

Titled after the Victorian belief that, “When a good life was lived, flowers will grow on the deceased grave.  But on the graves of the wicked, only weeds will grow,” this three-plate etching was made for the exchange portfolio, “The Visceral Hand,” organized by Michael Weigman and Joshua Jay Johnson.  27 of these prints went directly into the portfolio, and I have 8 available artist proofs.  E-mail RaeleenKao@gmail.com if you would like to reserve one.

The imagery was inspired by Victorian hair wreaths which were built with hair from deceased family members as a memorial.  As a member of the family died, their hair would be intricately woven and added to the wreath in a bizarre sort of postmortem family tree.

The entire plate is coated with an acid resist and the image is drawn with an etching needle to expose the copper underneath.  When the entire plate is submerged in acid, the acid bites into the copper where the image was drawn.

The blue plate was inspired by Japanese Ukiyo-E woodblock prints.

The fade was etched using a creep bite technique where acid is incrementally poured into a tray of water and allowed to “creep” up the plate

Each plate is inked and wiped separately, then printed one on top of another.

The first exhibition of the completed portfolio will open at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, OH.  Full list of participants and exhibition info Here.

Aqua Art Miami : Phylogeny Contemporary

I have three drawings with Phylogeny Contemporary at Aqua Art Miami, November 30-December 4.  Happening in conjunction with Art Basel, Aqua Art Miami is partnered with the Association of Women Art Dealers and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

In Roman mythology, the Parcae were three sisters who personified childbirth and controlled the fates of both mortals and gods. Nona, whose name translates to “ninth” and represents the ninth month of pregnancy, spun the thread of life, Decima, or “tenth”, measured the thread, and Morta, the goddess of death, cut the thread, signifying the end of the person’s life.

These drawings are inspired by the Parcae and influenced by Victorian memento mori. Diseases such as tuberculosis and scarlet fever were rampant during the 1800s, and Victorian society reacted to the constant presence of death by embracing the Roman phrase memento mori, meaning “remember you will die.” This triptych references the Victorian practice of memorializing loved ones through creating jewelry, wreaths, and ink from the hair of the deceased.

Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show

I have several prints up at the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative December 2-15.  Gallery hours are as follows:

Preview the show (shop early!):
Friday Dec 2, 12-8pm

Grand Opening Party:
Saturday & Sunday December 3 & 4, 11-7pm both days

Special extended gallery hours:
Tuesdays – Sundays 12-5pm, Dec 6-18 only

Link to Facebook event here.

Alice C Sabatini Gallery : The Printed Image

This printmaking exhibition, which opened on November 4th, was juried by Stephen Goddard, Associate Director, Senior Curator of works on paper, and Professor of art history at the Spencer Museum of Art.  The exhibition runs through December 30.  I am exhibiting two etchings, which are part of an ongoing body of work surrounding poisonous plants and flowers.

Gallery hours:  Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Sunday: 12 noon – 9 p.m.

There will be a Second Friday event on Friday, December 9, 2016 • 5-8:30 p.m.

Additional information about the exhibition is here.

Verum Ultimum Gallery

I have a couple pieces which will remain at Verum Ultimum Gallery in Portland.  Their next exhibition opens on December 10, 6-8pm.  Please contact FineArtVU@gmail.com for purchase.

This past Monday I started a series of collaborations with Fred Stonehouse at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  This will be an ongoing project of drawings and prints so please check back for updates!