9 Questions with Maggie Wen 温馨
THE ORIGINAL ISSUE10 Art Magazine | Featured Artist
Maggie Wen is currently getting her master of science in Journalism at Boston University in the hopes of becoming a photojournalist. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2020, majoring in Studio Art and minoring in Art History and East Asian Studies.
www.maggiexwen.com | @maggiexwen_photo
Maggie Wen 温馨 portrait - Ph. Mild Laohapoonrungsee (@mildlaophotography)
ARTIST STATEMENT
Maggie Wen works mainly with the combination of interview research-based text and photography. She draws a lot of her inspiration from intercultural research. Growing up with a multicultural background, with Chinese roots, Maggie Wen lived in Denmark during primary school, worked in New Zealand, and studied in the States. She explores the relationship between words and the environment to understand culture, politics, economics’ influence over human life, and the driving forces behind decisions. The works created by Maggie Wen explore and strive to understand the rules and beliefs that lead and navigate people around the world regardless of their cultural background. Her goal is to bring cultures in the east and the west together in the hopes of generating mutual love and understanding.
William Baker (Billz), Film photography, 2021 © Maggie Wen 温馨
INTERVIEW
You have a complex background and personal history. How would you describe Maggie Wen to our readers in three words?
Sensitive, Adventurous, Practical
You have Chinese roots but grew up in Europe, worked in New Zealand, and are studying in Boston, USA. Which place do you consider home? And what meaning does this word have for you?
The fact is that I don’t consider anywhere home makes me feel home everywhere, and I think that this actually makes me a better photographer. I go into an environment with hopes to build a community while documenting the community.
How did these many experiences shape the person you are today? And do they influence your work?
Being rootless as a kid made me appreciate the love that comes in slow, unintentional, and unbiased. This is why I use a film camera, as it resembles the way I try to connect with people, by giving love slowly, unintentionally, and without bias (since with film you can’t select which photo you like the most until you get it developed).
Cassandra Bruny, Film photography, 2021 © Maggie Wen 温馨
Ryan Vella, Film photography, 2021 © Maggie Wen 温馨
In your statement, you quote photojournalism as your main career goal at the moment. What would you like to investigate as a photojournalist? What themes and subjects would you like to focus on in your practice?
Community.
I just started learning more about photojournalism, so correct me if I am wrong. I think being a photographer, you have an innate ability to see the best way to connect the community through photos. I know my main goal as a photojournalist is to connect people together, and selfishly I want to connect with the best of what I experienced in both Western and Eastern cultures and build a community via photography.
Do you have any photojournalist that particularly inspires you and your work?
Can I say Andy Warhol? I know he is an artist, but the saying “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” always stuck with me. I think he is one of the major reasons I really gained the confidence to start taking photos.
Dela Acolatse, Film photography, 2021 © Maggie Wen 温馨
Why did you choose photography as your preferred medium?
For freedom of being behind a camera: once you taste it, you don’t want to switch.
Gregory Dubuisson (Designer for Urban Pigeons) and Hailey Krueger, Film photography, 2021 © Maggie Wen 温馨
We usually say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In a society overloaded with images like the one we live in, do you think this is still true nowadays?
Of course, it is true; the emotions within a portrait photo appeal to the targeted audience either intentionally or unintentionally.
Let’s talk about your future projects; what are you working on now? Do you have any upcoming shows or publications?
I was taught never to share something you are doing unless it is done. Thank you for asking, I like this kind of expectations of me.
And lastly, what are your goals for 2022?
To take photos, to take a lot of photos. And taking every photography task as the most important thing in my life.
