Mo Kong

January 14, 2025

Mo Kong (b. 1989 Shanxi, China) is an interdisciplinary artist, and researcher based in New York, NY. They received an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. They have been the subject of solo exhibitions at Smack Mellon, Queens Museum, Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space, CUE Art Foundation, Artericambi Gallery(Verona), Gertrude Gallery, and Chashama.

Tell us about your practice, for those who are new to you.

My work reflects a long-standing interest in the natural sciences; through a self-directed research process and an awareness of our position within complex historical and social events. The focus revolves around “Slowbalization”—the antithesis of globalization—which is characterized by xenophobia, economic isolation, and environmental collapse. I explore how these phenomena impact the daily lives of immigrants.

My current project envisions an Asian immigrant-owned survival company called Personal Ark®, which presents its apocalypse survival technology through sculptural installations.

Over the past few years, you’ve been creating work under the banner of Personal Ark. Can you share the origins of this project and how it has evolved?

Personal Ark® is a fictional furniture firm that navigates the concepts of ASIA-FUTURISM and ASIA-PESSIMISM. Instead of showcasing its products in a sterile environment, my practice portrays how these items are being used by an Asian immigrant community surviving in a post-apocalyptic world.

Your practice can take many different forms, what is your process to materialize a topic/theme/idea into a body of work?

All my work begins with research, and all the materials I use directly reflect that process. Since the entire series is set in a future apocalypse, each project involves the development of new materials and technologies tailored to its narrative.

Your practice demonstrates such rigor in incorporating scientific research and investigative journalism, yet your work feels deeply rooted in personal experiences. Can you share more about this aspect?

I see this work as a safe space to document my life, learn Asian American history, and uncover new challenges within the diaspora. The series is threaded with my own personal immigration journey from China to the U.S.In its early stages, I approached the project from a more architectural perspective, which made it challenging to incorporate myself into the work directly.

I imagine my work as a site-specific environment; they are figureless but with traces of evidence and clues about the people who lived there. These hidden marks and details tell the stories. It also opens the possibility for the public to project themselves into the work and engage with it.

What has been inspiring you lately?

Perfume Brand Nasomatto, Fangaroma, Yiliperfume. Brutalist architecture. New Blue Sun -Andre 3000. Trust by Hernan Diaz. Tropical Plants.

What’s next for you?

I am working on the 4th project of Personal Ark®. It will be an interactive sculpture and opera. Meanwhile, I am also working on two videos.

Mo Kong

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