James Jean x CICA Vancouver: Meadowlark

When one of your favorite artists has a show in one of your favorite cities on earth, it is hard not to look at it with rose-colored glasses. That is exactly what happened when I saw James Jean’s show at CICA Vancouver, and I will not be taking the glasses off. “Meadowlark,” Jean’s first solo exhibition in Canada, and the first in North America in a decade, is on Display at CICA from July 25th to September 15, 2024. The show explores the influence of identity, culture and mixed heritage on belonging and adapting in the world. As a child of immigrant parents, Jean struggled finding his identity in the western world, and this show is a retrospective of these struggles.

The Meadowlark is a bird that is known for its ability to mimic the calls of other birds, in numerous historical retellings. This adaptation the bird has developed enables it to live safely in its environment, or even potentially deter outside threats. According to Jean and CICA Vancouver, “Their song is not just a survival tactic, it is a profound expression of integration and harmony resonating across various cultural histories.” As the namesake of the show would suggest, Jean illustrates his Taiwanese-American heritage and its influence against personal experience. He also draws a parallel between depicting these messages symbolically, and literally in these works. Combining themes from Western and Asian cultures, he is able to convey the link between the surreal with precision like no other. Jean draws this inspiration from Takashi Murakami and his style of art coined “Superflat,” which is a blend of traditional and contemporary art, or “high” and “low” art. It’s with this method that Jean is able to mix his traditional upbringing and themes, and his modern-day personal experience to create a harmonious contradiction.

The entire show was breathtaking, with dreamlike backgrounds accentuated by bright colors, and dynamic lines you would see in traditional asian art. Of the dozens of incredible works, several stood out as my favorites, but also as thematic anchor points.

DEER II (planning on including an image)is a testament to shedding your layers, or getting rid of the old to make way for the new. Across history, many immigrants are forced into new locations for many reasons, leaving behind everything they had ever known as home. Sometimes, in order to truly thrive, you must let go of the past and physical connections to it that are weighing you down, or keeping you attached. The deer in the painting is quite otherworldly, and is resting in the arms of a female figure. One of the deer’s antlers has shed which indicates new beginnings, and it is in need of protection while waiting for the other to fall. The deer is covered in symbols of adventure and journey, but also of inaccessibility and loss of connection. The woman’s hair is covered in tear-like droplets of water, suggesting she feels the deer’s pain, and is there to heal. According to Jean x CICA “The diamond symbol repeating on the deer’s forehead, and the other intricate patterns surrounding the dragon on the deer’s saddle and blankets, reflect cultural uncertainty and the complexities of identity shaped by relocation.”

SCRIBE fully embodies the dichotomy of the “Superflat” style both conceptually, and visually. As an ode to the creator of the style, staring at this piece for several minutes, you come to the conclusion that it is inspired by Murakami. The figure in the bottom of the piece was writing (or drawing) themselves into the piece. I interpreted it as the artist writing their own story into the world. The more contemporary, technological pieces at the top start to envelop the figure, suggesting an influence of modern style on the traditional student, or also new information/ideas improving old ones. This was probably my favorite piece in the show. The bright orange background staunch against the calming blues and greens, yet also blending effortlessly. The idea that the figure is illustrating the landscape, but could also be the figure drawing the painting itself and connecting the dream-like state of the work to the physical world with the help of the hummingbird. “The hummingbird fitting in the painting’s center dips its tongue into the scribe’s petal-like head, feeding on the sweet nectar of the scribe’s ideas and linking the scribe's weighted body to the kinetic sky.”

STUDENT, while not my personal favorite, connected with my own story the most. The background of the piece is very muted and plain, compared to the intricate designs of the figure of the student. Revealing a sense of creating your own path, or finding the excitement and creativity within, despite the mundane, trivial tasks of everyday life. The painting is whimsical, and full of imagination with the student drawing colorful graffiti on the desk. The student’s shoes are also untied, further adding to the carefree nature and disregard of the rules. Inspired by the Mega Man video game character, there is more inclusion of the “Superflat” style, and a sense of irony between having an android like character take handwritten notes in an old-school classroom. “The graffiti on the desk includes Chinese radicals, the base components of the Chinese alphabet characters, and mountains reminiscent of Japanese scroll paintings; both are images which represent the longing for connection to the past and to Asian culture.” I felt like I connected with this piece the most through the symbolism of forging your own path, but creatively, while also maintaining a connection to your roots.

The further through the exhibition I got, the more it seemed apparent to me that the Superflat style is a perfect embodiment of the Meadowlark and what it stands for. The Meadowlark, as previously mentioned, is great at adapting to their new environment to survive, much like Superflat combines the old (what you know) with the new (what you don’t know). This was prominent in every piece, yet also with other symbolism that has been created more recently, and speaks to the duality of the meaning of Superflat and its connection to identity, culture and heritage. As my favorite solo show I have seen this year, Jean’s paintings rival that of many of his inspirations.

Written by Hutton Kalik, Gallery Director & Curator