Portraits of PeiJu Chien-Pott
I met PeiJu over a decade ago when she was just beginning her career at the Martha Graham Company, and she and I have collaborated on several projects since then, both in my studio and, during the pandemic, in natural light in the Hudson Valley.
Pei is an extraordinary and exceptionally dedicated artist.
And like so many exceptional artists her journey has been complex, highly idiosyncratic, and driven by her talent and unflinching dedication and determination.
Born in Taiwan, Pei started training as a dancer in both classical ballet and Chinese Folk Dance when she was ten, performing as a member of a competition dance group in her hometown. When she was fifteen, she was selected for the seven year program at the Taipei National University of the Arts and after receiving her BFA she performed around the world as a leading dancer for the Taipei Crossover Dance.
She moved to the US in 2008 and, after working with Merce Cunningham and Nimbus Dance, was hired by the Martha Graham Company in 2011, rising within three years to become a principal dancer – and while she was the mother of her infant daughter who traveled with her on tour around the US and the world for years.
Pei’s versatility and passion as an artist has inspired numerous choreographers to create work featuring her and she is now creating her own work, often in partnership with other dance artists and musicians.
For this portrait collaboration with her, we worked with color – both in the lighting and clothing – and texture, to amplify and dramatize the breadth and depth of Pei’s persona – leaning into her natural style, theatricality, and glamour.
Pei is complex, multifaceted and a risk taker – which has been central to her success as an artist – but that also means that it is often hard to see or reveal the “real” Pei.
I hope you see glimpses of her from multiple angles, as I do, in this portrait series.
