Nomi Chi reveals What Found me in the Woods

Nomi Chi has brought her work back to Halifax this month for her second Utility Gallery show in as many summers. With Chi's current exhibit, What Found me in the Woods, the young Vancouver tattoo artist and painter's biologically driven work plays like a twisted fairy tale on the gallery's walls. "Dark fairy tale and biological references are motifs that will probably always be a strong undercurrent in my work," writes Chi from Vancouver via a sparse internet connection during her moving day. "Lately I've been trying to encourage more interactions with my characters---not just with each other but with their environments and the other things that inhabit them. Stylistically, I intend to stretch the surreal quality of my work further by incorporating a classical, realistic approach." While Chi cites biological and medical illustrations as inspiration for her art, she's moved on from having a Vancouver Aquarium membership (it expired) to visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery, museum and planetarium to help her explore new art. "Maybe I am growing up? Maybe not," she writes. Whether it's called growing up or simply growing, Chi is on that path: At 21, she's about to begin her first year at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, while continuing to tattoo part-time and work on her personal art. We hope she won't be too busy to visit again next year.