Southeast Asian Diaspora Resiliency
Cheyenne Concepcion
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cheyenneconcepcion/
Website - https://cheyenneconcepcion.com/
Bio:
Cheyenne Concepcion is a Filipino-American artist and designer whose work explores how architecture, politics, history and aesthetics shape place across a wide range of media including sculpture, design, social practice and public art. She creates craft-inspired sculptures, large-scale public installations and functional objects that confront hidden histories within the American landscape. By shining a light on the stories of the people and places that have been overlooked, Concepcion uses her work to engage ideas of cultural memory, migration and the built environment. She lives and works in San Francisco.
Concepcion has received fellowships and residencies from Socrates Sculpture Park, Monument Lab, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, Haystack School of Craft, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Goethe Institute. She has exhibited at Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2024); Marin MOCA, Novato, CA (2024); Highline Nine Galleries, New York, NY (2023); Worth Ryder Gallery, Berkeley, CA (2018); Code & Canvas Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2019); and Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, New York, NY (2019). A self-taught artist, Cheyenne completed a BA in Urban Studies and Planning from UC San Diego and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley.
Artist Statement:
My practice is part social commentary, part group therapy. I work across mediums to create craft-inspired woven sculptures, participatory public installations and functional objects that spotlight hidden histories in the American landscape. Integral to my practice is creating work with a public component and for the last few years, my work has been in conversation with notions of political power in America through my projects on public art and monuments, cultural memory, and migration. My work initiates participatory research, advocates for awareness and crowd sources materials, making the public active producers of the work. Because of this, I like to think of my work as a social-sculpture, anchored by hand crafted physical objects and installations but deeply conceptual and communal by design.
Reclaim Collection (2022)
The Reclaim Collection is inspired by the fascinating yet forgotten history of the iconic Peacock chair. Artist Cheyenne Concepcion created an organic, textural four-piece collection that weaves together a compelling narrative about form, heritage and materiality from the Filipino diaspora. Rooted in history but designed to fit our contemporary world, the Reclaim collection includes a lounge chair, nesting stools, totemic sculptures and a mirror. Ultimately, Reclaim is an earthy, elegant, highly personal testament for the future of Filipino-American design.
Doña Lounge Chair
25.25” D x 24.5” W x 32” H, Seat 16.25”
Bent Steel, White Oak Frame, Woven Natural Cane
NFS
A chair for a matriarch. Inspired by the iconic Peacock chair, the Doña Lounge Chair is re-designed to be low and reclined to fit the contemporary urban home. The Doña chairs relaxed posture, hourglass geometries and expanded material composition informs refreshed take on Filipino-American design.
Coco Nesting Stools
20” W x 20” D x 20” H
Bent Steel, White Oak Frame, Woven Natural Cane
NFS
The Coco nesting stool set is a versatile duo that can be found in any room of the home. The space saving set can be customized along a wide range of materials, here we show a side table with Cane and a nesting stool with White Oak supported by a powder-coated steel frame and decorative brass ball feet.
Anak Totems
Bent steel, natural cane
11”W X 13”D X 34”H
NFS
Imagined as a decorative artifact of history, each Anak totem is handwoven and unique. Inspired by Philippine basketry but designed to be a bold sculptural element for any tastemaker’s living room. The totems vary in size and can be customized per client’s space, in fact it’s encouraged!
Reverie Basket Series
Sculpting baskets can be quite controlled and mathematical and personally, I can be too. I’ve found that weaving these vessels allows me to both lean into my needs to control but also to practice letting go. The practice of feeding both of these parts of myself through weaving baskets feels like a daydream.
RÊVERIE Basket No. 2
Basswood, Reed, Cane, Ink, Found Nylon Rope
28” H x 26.5”W x 24”D
$4250
RÊVERIE BASKET No. 3
Basswood, Reed, Cane, Dye
20”H x 22” W x 8” D
$4250
RÊVERIE is a woven vessel series that captures my recent explorations with basketry. With these sculptures I laboriously hand shape wooden bases to anchor the functional woven vessels made of dyed reed and rattan. The loose, playfulness, raw nature of these sculptures suggest an act of release, of letting go of control, a practice basket making work is helping me to learn.
Jalisco Triptych (2021)
Dried Grasses, Masonry Rope, Painted Board
12” x 12” x 2” (each of 3)
$2,400/set or $800/single
Jalisco is a triptych of 12” x 12” weavings inspired by thatched roofs I recently encountered around coastal Jalisco – buildings in the region seemed to link bright building colors to the dried palm material. Similarly, I have childhood memories of encountering similar roof structures called “Nipa Roofs” in my homeland of the Philippines. I am likely captured by thatched roofs because of my background in urban planning and architecture. In a field that often prioritizes euro-centric forms and construction techniques, thatched roofs have maintained their presence because of their simplicity, sustainability and most notably, their style. The Jalisco series adopts the materiality of this indigenous building technique as it is constructed of dried grasses and multi-colored masonry rope. Organized as a triptych the two-toned composition creates an abstraction of interconnectedness.
Exhibition Season:
Southeast Asian Diaspora Resiliency