Neon, Ceramic

65” x 12”

2025

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ is a neon and ceramic piece with neon boxes around each ceramic character and a vertical and horizontal line behind the characters to represent the red “practice character sheets” used when learning to write Chinese. The characters are made from slip, using the same principals of Chinese calligraphy to form the characters. The phrase in this piece is “I don’t know”. This phrase is critical to me because it is a viable response to any question or statement. I don’t know what you mean; I don’t know how to answer; I don’t know what you’re saying; these are all interpretations of this single statement. The title being an innocent and playful emoji connotes that this phrase is not meant to be used in an angry or defensive way that wants to justify the limitations of knowledge, it’s a statement that expresses a momentary lack of understanding, and a transparency about where you are within comprehension.