credits: Martine Kamara
Equality! Regardless of race, color, origin and gender. The fact that we at Rokbar are committed to this is nothing new. Fortunately, we are not alone. So we would like to introduce a like-minded person who also takes up the discussion and is committed to an equal world.
This time Sioejeng Tsao, the 29-year-old artist and intersectional feminist. You can find her work in De Volkskrant, het Parool and on OneWorld.nl, among others. But she also regularly contributes to television programs such as The Outsiders and Pete en de bananen. In short, a hard-working and outspoken woman, whom we wanted to get to know better. We asked her some questions.
Background
As her name suggests, Sioejeng has Chinese roots! Her father, Ming-Wen, is a true, loyal fighter who always stands up for what he believes in. Her mother, Jennie Tji, was born in New Guinea. She enjoys the little things in life. Both parents always do their best to give Sioejeng and her brother a lot of wisdom, strength and love. “Although there are cultural differences, I know that they love us very much and want to see us happy.”
From an early age, Sioejeng knew she wanted to become an illustrator. Still, her favorite subject in school was English. Today Sioejeng lives with her boyfriend. That, along with the acquisition of a major international illustration job, was the highlight of 2020 (until now).
Online
Sioejeng work can be found both online and offline. Through her Instagram account, she regularly expresses her concerns, thoughts and fears about equality, sexual orientation and many other, sometimes precarious, topics. She found racism to be the most difficult subject to broach. “You don’t always want to be the one who is ‘uncomfortable’.” Nevertheless, she remains committed to these subjects. In addition to her daily experiences, they are a great source of inspiration for her work.
Later
It is clear that Sioejeng is ambitious. “Sometimes people think I can handle the whole world on my own, that’s not right.” But what are her plans for the coming years? “Keep giving lectures. My art in a beautiful studio or museum. Building a name abroad and preferably also being able to speak Chinese in order to be able to move around in China. ” We think that these are great goals to pursue. And should a way be found to talk to her late grandfather, she would like to ask him about “… my father’s family history.”
Did you know
To conclude some fun facts about Sioejeng:
Her favorite color is red (or yellow ocher or blue).
Milk chocolate is her guilty pleasure, but a piece of dark chocolate is always welcome.
“I prefer music over films and print over digital!”
“The power of fragility, White fragility and Women don’t owe you pretty are inspirational books that everyone should read!”
Her role models, in addition to her parents, are the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and journalist Clarice Gargard.
Her advice to future generations:
“You always have the capacity to bring about change, as long as you keep believing in yourself and want to go for it 10000%.”
Want to see and hear more from Sioejeng?
Check her Insta account: www.instagram.com/seeyousioe
and website: www.seeyousioe.com
