Q&A
What funny moments, unexpected surprises, or obstacles have you encountered?
"An unexpected surprise I encountered was being invited to China in 2017 to represent the United States in an international exhibition.
First, during this trip, I had to make a speech on behalf of all the artists that were taking part in the exhibition from the United States in English with a Chinese Interpreter. The first surprise was writing the speech the night before, ensuring that I was able to cover all of the information I hoped to convey as a visiting artist representing the USA. Additionally, during the speech, I graciously thanked the Chinese artists, curators, sponsors, and all those involved in this exhibition that helped bring to life our vision of the event.
The second unexpected moment was the interpreter of my speech. Originally, the interpreter was supposed to be a graduate student from a local university. However, at the last minute, a distinguished member of the museum, Wang Chunchen, the previous year’s curator of the Venice Biennale, became the interpreter of my speech. I was taken aback by this surprise. But, I was very honored to have someone of his prestige interpret my speech - especially due to his knowledge of the arts and related terminology.
The third unexpected moment, on this trip, was having the opportunity to create a site-specific installation at the Taoxichuan Art Museum in Jingdezhen, China. Although I had a plan of how to create the 19-foot x 9-foot sculpture, the surprise was experiencing the exact location of the installation. Additionally, I did not know how I was going to create something this large in such a short period of time - if materials would be available and even if the piece would fill the space in the way I intended. Thankfully, there were many helpers and available materials that I was able to use for the creation of the piece. All of these components produced a very successful installation and the intense creation in three days was a success."

Serena Bocchino