Jia Le Ling

About the Artist

Born and raised in Singapore, Jia Le Ling is an interdisciplinary artist working between performances, sculptures, and installations that center around overcoming personal fears and being genuine about the various experiences he has with the people, materials, and events around him. Ling received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in December 2021. His most recent exhibits and performances include his first solo show, Dance of a Quiet Boy at the Meyerhoff Piano Gallery, MICA; Meridian Prologue at Current Space in Baltimore MD; and Unravel Unrest at The Crown in Baltimore MD.

Artist's Statement

My mother often tells me that I am a listener. I agree. I listen more than I talk because everything around me has so much to say, especially the materials with which I work. Except they won’t talk until I initiate. Some of the more stubborn materials make me work a little harder. Rough and dry to my touch, wood was so aloof when we first met. Misunderstood perhaps, we got into a friendly scuffle to end up splintered and bruised. Aware of our thresholds now, we quickly made a truce. I value fights like this because it’s the friction between us that provides the necessary warmth in my works. I let the materials—the grain of the wood or the weave of a cloth—lead the conversation, not wanting to miss anything. I was in it for the stories. As a token of appreciation, I share with them my stories too. Preoccupied with listening to these materials, it is no surprise that I sometimes neglect listening to the voice that already exists within this living and breathing body of mine. Hence more recently, I have been trying to listen to my body through exploratory dancing and rituals to rediscover myself amongst the noisy chatter of the materials around me.