My Lao and LGBTQ+ heritages consistently push me to incorporate abundance and intricacy into my minimalist Pop Art style. This conflict of styles creates a vivid tension in much of my work, which includes painting, drawing, digital design, and even creative writing. The abundance and intricacy found in typically Lao and typically LGBTQ+ artforms has not only influenced the visual appearance of my art, but also my approach to building community.
Anything can seem small when it is by itself.
Anything can be overlooked when it is by itself.
Even the most beautiful shapes and colors can fail to hold an art-lover’s attention until they are arranged in massive, repeating patterns. This is why so much of my work contains designs that are repeated until they look like Lao temple tiles or Lao textile designs – because there is strength in numbers and repetition. I have also applied this principle to my life as a community organizer – I brought together lone individuals until they felt like a strong, vibrant pattern ready to make change.
I don’t just repeat my designs within one piece, but I repeat whole pieces in new pieces. In padaek (unfiltered Lao fish sauce), numerous ingredients are jarred together to create the rich, pungent, funky aromas that flavor the best of Lao cuisine. Just as herbs, spices, sticky rice, and entire fish continue to flavor Lao dishes years after being assembled into an enigmatic sauce, my “finished” art pieces continue to stink up my artist portfolio by making appearances in future art pieces. There is a Queerness in this as well, as LGBTQ+ identity must constantly work against being forgotten and left behind. We are always fighting for Queer self-preservation, just as we are always fighting to preserve Lao cultural heritage.
My preservation work isn’t solely about celebration though – I am equally as inquisitive and critical of my heritages as I am celebratory. The journey to being inclusive, and honest, and transformative has always been with me, and I move forward on this journey by first engaging with what has come before me.
Timothy - Singhasonh 