Interview with Jenny Pham

In my continued efforts to shamelessly promote the upcoming show “Coterie 21“, I interviewed another classmate: Jenny Pham.


Yes, I’ll Hold. Jenny Pham. 5 hour performance. 2010.

how would you describe your work to someone who doesn’t know you?
My work is bipolar: sometimes, it’s comedic and pokes fun at society; sometimes, it’s dead serious and deeply rooted in personal traumas. I am an interdisciplinary artist, working in painting, drawing, installation, photography, performance, audio, and video. I started out with a background in drawing, but my recent work is manifested mostly through video.

why do you work in film/video/sound? what drew you to the medium?
I like to appropriate what is there in the world already– I think in this way my work is relatable: people immediately understand the visual and can focus on the conceptual. I like to be straightforward in my messages, but when I have a thought that’s too abstract or personal to explain, I turn to drawing and painting.

if you could have anything, what would your last meal be?
Strawberry cheesecake. Ten of them.

what weird/strange skill do you have that not many people know about?
I can act and look like an Asian person. Look, I’ve been doing it all my life! Convincing, aren’t I?

sign?
“Dispose of ugly children here.”

favorite color?
Dexter Red.

chocolate, vanilla or strawberry?
Neapolitan. I want it all!


Boyfriend Issues. Jenny Pham. 4×6 Photograph. 2011.

what do you like better, hands or feet?
Hands are boring; they’re everywhere. I enjoy feet (when they’re not smelly) because they’re always hidden by socks and shoes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess. I only really see feet when their owners are comfortable– it’s as if they come out of their hiding place only when they know they’re safe!

if you could hang out with any person (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Heretofore I would have said Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes but I’m just so mad at him right now. He used to write about women and love but now he writes about 2012 and scientology. What’s up with that? Anyway, I guess I would chill with my grandma before she had Alzheimer’s. She never got to tell me stories like grandmas are supposed to.

Fine, Thanks… Jenny Pham. Video 1:01 min. 2010.


if you had to kill one historical person, who would it be?
I don’t want to kill anyone. If I had to, it’d probably be to save someone else. Depends on the person, I guess.

if you had to kill one living person, who would it be?
I don’t think anyone deserves to die, but I do wish Rebecca Black would shut up already.