Today we’d like to introduce you to Mee Jey.
Hi Mee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Mee Jey is an Indian immigrant artist mother of two kids. She has double masters’ degree in History and Field Archaeology and an MFA degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Mee Jey’s practice is dialogical with the place and people she co-inhabits with and is shaped by her quotidian life’s challenges and joys. As a creative working with limited means in a politically tumultuous time, creating and performing for and with the local community has become a prominent aspect of her practice. She designs workshops and collective performance pieces where people of all ages, and stages of life from all the different professional, religious, racial backgrounds with varied physical and cognitive capabilities can participate with ease. This oasis where the ordinary audience joins Mee Jey within the gallery or outside gallery spaces as creators and performers, makes her stand out as a multi-disciplinary contemporary artist.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is neither a walk in the park nor a war in the field. It is a delicate navigation between fighting the system for oneself, for others who matter to us while continue to walk forward. With every geographical move, global and national political shift, life of an immigrant gets deeply impacted on legal and personal levels. As these political and personal events are intertwined, my life and art also change direction and nature willingly or helplessly. During my MFA years, one of my mentors advised me to draw inspiration from my nightmares. I have continued to do so hoping that some day these nightmares will end.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Coming from humble economic background and a complex joint family, sharing resources and learning to utilise every available thing as a resource was one of the earliest lessons I learnt in life. I have developed a unique skill of navigating crises, scarcity, challenges and continue to keep faith in myself in hostile stretches of time and places. I employ these survival mechanisms to make art even during most challenging times. Not restricting myself to any material or medium has helped me evolve with time and adapt to changing times. I believe this has been my best strength and also sets me apart from others.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I believe the most important characteristic for me is to express my thoughts, even if they are against the popular or prevalant norm, without burning out completely. If I am not able to make art and voice my and millions of others like me, then the endeavour to initiate a dialogue for change won’t last long. Make art is my only motto. Make art in every scenario of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meejey.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mee_jey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meenakshi.jha.946
- Twitter: https://x.com/artologue?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQi6pw0HL7iE7m3jAbxSNHA
