Press Release

NARS Foundation is pleased to present Gateway (repaved), a new site-specific installation inspired by Jennifer Chia-Ling Ho's immigration from Taiwan to the United States, exploring themes of adaptation and resilience through a climbing wall installation.

Ho’s multidisciplinary practice explores cultural systems and their disparities through the lens of language. Her interest in language stems from growing up in Taiwan where language proficiency transcends academic pursuits to professional and social status. By incorporating and manipulating found images and texts with specific cultural connotations, in this case, English learning materials, she cultivates new perspectives on the power dynamics embedded in language acquisition and assimilation.

Gateway (repaved) builds on Ho's Gateway series, which uses language as a tool for advancement, opportunity, and power, and employs the act of climbing as a metaphor for navigating a new environment. This iteration considers the support and roots needed for that ascent. Transforming the project space into a climbing wall with ropes made from vocabulary flashcards and jade-like rock holds, the work explores how staying connected to one's roots provides meaningful grounding and balance in the journey of adaptation.

The ropes, constructed from English flashcards, represent the gateway to success through language learning and perseverance. The vocabulary on the flashcards is drawn from words considered essential for the GRE exam, a common English proficiency requirement for American graduate school applications. For many immigrants, these words symbolize access to opportunity and the "American Dream," underscoring the dominance of English among global languages and the central role of the United States in migration narratives.

The rock holds provide the support, balance, and grounding that make the ascent possible. Formed through tectonic collisions, jade symbolizes Taiwan’s unique geological, social, and political position. These jade-like holds serve as reminders of Ho’s homeland and cultural grounding that support and sustain her journey of immigration.

This installation transforms Ho's personal journey—the challenges of language acquisition, cultural navigation, and finding belonging—into a meditation on the shared experience of adaptation. Presented at NARS Foundation, the work creates a space for reflection and connection within Brooklyn's diverse cultural landscape and fosters dialogues and solidarity across immigrant communities and broader audiences.

About the Artist:
Jennifer Chia-Ling Ho (b. 1992, Taipei, Taiwan) is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in New Haven, CT. Ho’s practice explores cultural systems and their disparities through the lens of language. Her work has been exhibited at 18th Street Arts Center in California; The Bronx Museum of the Arts; Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art; NARS Foundation; Below Grand Gallery; Pratt Institute in New York. Ho has participated in residencies at 18th Street Arts Center, LMCC Arts Center at Governors Island, and NARS Foundation. Recent awards and fellowships include the Bronx Museum of the Arts AIM Fellowship, PRATT>FORWARD Fellowship, the National Culture and Arts Foundation of Taiwan-International Exchange fellowship, Massachusetts AAPI Artist Grant, Pratt MFA merit award, Graduate Student Education Fund, and Stutzman Family Foundation Fellowship. Ho received her MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute.