Eona Gao

Eona Gao is a Chinese-born multidisciplinary artist based in New York, with a current focus on ceramics. Her practice explores themes of displacement, belonging, and the shifting nature of self-identification within the immigrant experience. Drawing from nature as a metaphor for resilience and fragility, she creates elements drawn from nature and the body—delicate flower buds, spiked thorns, fragile leaves, fingers, and ears—that give shape to feelings of loss, uncertainty, and hope.

Eona holds an MFA in Digital Arts from Pratt Institute and a BFA in Animation from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. Rooted in her lived experience as an immigrant, her work reflects the emotional and cultural complexities of navigating between worlds and the ongoing search for identity and connection.

What drew you to the M.A. in Arts Politics?

I was drawn to the M.A. in Arts Politics because it offers a space where art, lived experience, theory, and community meet. As I’ve returned to my creative practice—especially through ceramics—I’ve come to value making work that not only reflects personal stories of immigration, identity, and loss, but also fosters connection and dialogue. At the same time, I feel the need to further deepen the thinking behind my work and develop a stronger theoretical foundation. I hope to continue growing both my practice and ideas, while becoming an active part of a community where artists and thinkers support one another in responding to the complexities of our time.