Migration in Dialogue – Angela Wei
Photo of Angela Wei by Andrew Chi. Courtesy of the artist.
Angela Wei is a New York-based artist and writer. Navigating the “loss of identity in an alienating world,” she imbues her paintings with a sense of intricate tenacity and mythological intrigue. She has written about fashion, art, and design for renowned publications and organizations such as Architectural Digest, Elle, and Christie’s.
Born in China to parents from Chengdu, Wei moved to Ottawa, Canada, at the age of two with her family. She relocated to Vancouver for high school and then spent a year in California at UC Berkeley, before moving to New York to attend Barnard College. As part of IMPULSE’s Migration in Dialogue conversation series, Wei discusses her itinerant journey and how she sees the positive in an otherwise stressful situation.
JW: Can you share a bit about your current visa status? Are you planning to stay in New York or the US in general?
AW: I am currently on a TN visa, which is a unique visa available to Canadians and Mexicans. However, it can be quite restrictive because the job you perform has to match the list of professions that qualify for the visa. It can be tricky, especially if you want to be an artist, which isn’t one of the available categories. I've been on a TN visa as a graphic designer and another one as a technical publications writer at Christie's. You can stay on the TN indefinitely, but you have to apply for a new visa every time you change jobs, and you can't freelance or pursue your own business. That's the trade-off.
If possible, I’m hoping to stay in New York, and I personally think it’s worth navigating the extra obstacles (or so I tell myself). New York is where my friends are, where my community is—it's everything I’ve come to know during the formative years of my life. I’m trying to move on to another visa right now, so I definitely want to stay.
Angela Wei, Fallen Angel (2024). Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in. Courtesy of the artist and Rachel Uffner Gallery.
JW: What were some highlights and lowlights in navigating immigration? Did this process affect you artistically or professionally?
AW: There were a lot of opportunities that came my way—both gigs and full-time jobs—that I couldn’t take because they wouldn't sponsor the TN visa. Right out of school, employers saw that I was on OPT and didn't want to invest in me long-term. One of the most disappointing experiences was being offered a job at one of my dream companies last year. I actually received the offer, and they reassured me that the TN visa wouldn’t be an issue. However, at the last minute, HR pulled out. They told me verbatim, “We really want you for the role, but for a writing position like this, there are so many qualified Americans that we just can’t justify not hiring an American.” In reality, all they had to do was sign off on my TN letter of employment, which they refused. This has happened a couple of times, and it really stings.
I keep reminding myself that, at the end of the day, someone who is truly qualified and talented will always prevail. A job offer is not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but losing it over something so seemingly trivial is still frustrating.
On the bright side, given the constraints of being international, I’m proud of what I've accomplished. I've worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, written for Christie’s, and designed billboards for VICE. Plus, my art is being shown in galleries. As an international student, you have to be extremely well-qualified for jobs and opportunities, since companies need to justify why they should hire you over an American. In a way, that pressure can turn into motivation, which has driven me to take full advantage of everything this city has to offer.
I think the experience has affected my art practice in a rather subconscious way. For example, in the show Arcus at Rachel Uffner Gallery, my piece titled Fallen Angel depicts a baby being expelled from heaven, falling into a panopticon. It’s the idea of being expelled, not feeling like you belong, and constantly having to fight for your right to stay somewhere under constant surveillance—these are experiences I’ve personally gone through.
Angela Wei in front of her work at the opening of Arcus at Rachel Uffner Gallery. Courtesy of the artist.
This fall, I’ll have a solo show at The Living Gallery in Brooklyn, where my paintings continue to question the concept of “home.” Alongside my superflat style, I’ve introduced luminous soft pastel drawings that delve into the surreal and complex experience of navigating home’s impermanence. These works explore an emotional landscape of spectral figures, shifting borders, and dissolving identities, all set within a charged atmosphere that feels both uncanny and familiar. The series reflects on displacement, collective memory, and the search for belonging, echoing Jungian ideas of a shared unconscious.
Through those works, I eventually came to the conclusion that I don’t have to be monolithically tied to one culture or place and can fully embrace being two or three things at once.
JW: Since you moved to Canada when you were so young, have you ever felt like a foreigner during your time there? Or did you feel this sense of otherness more after you moved to the US?
AW: I’d say I felt more of a sense of otherness in the US than in Canada. When I was in Canada, I was really young and wasn’t really aware of the concept of being foreign. When we became Canadian citizens, I felt a lot of pride.
When you grow up in Canada, there’s the sense that you're adjacent to being American, at least culturally. I never expected there to be a significant divide. But when I came to America as a student, I was constantly reminded of this fact. You have to start thinking about post-grad plans as early as freshman year. For instance, with internships, you have to get your CPT approved by the school and request signatures from employers. Many American companies are turned off by any visa talk, so I’d have to advocate for myself.
It’s a funny situation—I have friends who were born here but raised elsewhere. Their parents gave birth to them in the US to secure citizenship and then moved abroad. When they returned to the US for college, they didn’t experience any visa issues, but I had to navigate a much more complicated situation despite feeling more culturally “American.”
Angela Wei in front of her work. Courtesy of the artist.
JW: Would your future plans be different if immigration restrictions weren’t relevant?
AW: If immigration weren't an issue, I definitely would still want to be painting and making art, but I might have more liberty to explore different creative avenues, whether it’s music, acting, or something else. For the O-1 application, they want to see a very consolidated portfolio and a cohesive story. You have to be focused on what will help give you legal status. The same goes for the TN visa—I had to tailor my choice of jobs to fit the visa categories. Otherwise, I might have taken roles a bit out of my comfort zone.
JW: What would you tell other people in this process? What would you have told your younger self?
AW: I really wish there had been more clarity about immigration. When I was in school, I would go to the international office with questions, and they often couldn’t answer most of them. They’d say, “Maybe you can ask a lawyer. We can’t advise on that.” Many students come to the US thinking that attending an American school is their ticket to staying in the US, but that’s just not the case. If someone is in college right now, it’s crucial to start thinking early about whether or not you want to commit to staying in the US. If you do, talk to other people, talk to lawyers—talk to more than one lawyer because I’ve received conflicting information from different sources. You have to take things into your own hands because the international offices often aren’t helpful.
It’s really important to be proactive and gain good work experience early in college. When you graduate and switch to OPT, you only have a limited amount of time before you have to leave the US, so you need to have a concrete job lined up. Having a robust portfolio or resume by the time you graduate is crucial. With the CPT, you can really immerse yourself early in the industry.
Angela Wei sitting next to her work. Courtesy of the artist.
JW: What do you wish policymakers knew about immigrants?
AW: What makes America so interesting is the diverse and creative voices that contribute to its culture. Many of the coolest creatives, artists, musicians, and athletes I know are not American; they come from abroad, bringing a wealth of diverse perspectives. I wish policymakers recognized how much this diversity adds to cultural dialogues.
JW: Where do you feel “at home”?
AW: Because I've moved around a lot, my definition of home is quite loose. Physically, it's Vancouver because that’s where my parents and my house are. Emotionally, it's New York, where all my best friends are and where my favorite restaurants and galleries are. This city really feels like mine.
The city has seen both the best and worst of me, and I’ve truly grown into myself in New York. Career-wise, I’ve explored various phases—fashion, design, and now art. So, I would say home is New York, but home is also a fluctuating concept for me. I often feel like I'm in a liminal space, never fully belonging to one place while navigating immigration uncertainty.
JW: How much time do you spend worrying about your immigration status?
AW: I spent a lot of time worrying about it last year and have anxiety partially because of this, if I am being candid. But maybe it’s my prefrontal cortex developing, for some of that tension has eased off recently as I’ve traveled more and opened up to new possibilities. Worrying excessively doesn’t help; it’s more productive to focus on my practice and what I truly want to do.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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