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At any given moment, it’s nearly impossible to guess what Kris Chau is doing. She could be painting with watercolor in her Echo Park home, visiting her favorite specialty grocery store in Hawaii, touring cross-country with her band, Monde UFO, or sewing herself a new pair of curtains. Kris Chau defies easy categorization — her life is a wide, joyful tapestry of talents and passions. In today’s world, where authentic art often makes way for glamour, fame and excess, Kris moves differently. She gravitates toward the finer things: meaningful relationships, creative freedom and spiritual connection. Bouncing from one craft to the next, and teaching herself along the way, she trusts her own joy with a grounded irreverence rarely seen in L.A. For Kris, life is an ongoing ritual of self-expression, survival and showing up for the community around her. In the interview that follows, Kris talks about finding her voice, honoring her roots and the lessons she’s still learning from art, music and the messy beauty of making it all work.
Having been raised by Vietnamese immigrants in Honolulu, Hawaii, you grew up surrounded by a beautiful array of cultures. How do these cultures influence and inspire your work today?
Shout out to Honolulu! I am a Townie Gal. Also, My parents are refugees from the Vietnam/American War. The main difference is that they fled where they were born and raised because their safety was compromised. I am grateful that the cards aligned and that they could begin their American lives in Hawaii. Hawaii is a really beautiful mix of cultures. That really helped me growing up because I grew up seeing faces that were similar to mine. Especially in a time when media didn’t offer very much diversity. I am also really grateful to be born and raised in Hawaii because it teaches you from a young age that you are a steward of this beautiful place. So, your resources, your care or responsibility or Kuleana is woven into the fabric of being from Hawaii. Which basically comes down to: we take care of this place and it takes care of us. That sentiment is always rooted in my work.
Before becoming a full-time artist, you worked as a Senior Designer at a fashion brand. What inspired you to make this career shift? Did you always know that your time in corporate America would be temporary?
I honestly didn’t think my time would end when it did in the corporate world. But I didn’t go to school to be a fashion designer – I started out as an artist and left to go back to being an artist. With that said, I loved designing clothes, and I loved my team, and I was treated really well from the design side of that world. But one day, the realities of production really informed me that I probably am doing myself and the world a disservice by using all I got in me for something that doesn’t align with my values. But, I feel really blessed to have had that opportunity, because being a full-time artist in this world also means you’re basically a small business. So, getting to design and seeing the production of that design all the way to the end, whether it’s in a store or online, was really educational. It takes so much work from so many people to make something on that level. Even navigating the corporate chain of leadership was totally educational. I learned that being who you are and being honest will never work against you.
You’ve mentioned that your artwork is narrative-driven. What are the themes or emotions you find yourself exploring most through your art?
Themes of spirituality, devotion, protection and connection are always on my mind. Putting visuals to this sometimes looks more lighthearted than what’s behind the curtain.
Making art is one thing – making money from it is another. What do you think the art industry is missing that could help artists better support themselves? Do you have any advice for creatives trying to make ends meet?
It’s not an art industry thing, it’s a societal thing. We have no social safety net. I don’t think making art is reserved for a special few, I think everyone in their own right is some kind of artist. Being an artist just means you get to act out your value system. For example, “gardening and connecting to the earth is important to me, so I am going to dedicate this much of my week/year/day/life to it.” This person is an artist. I have no good advice for making ends meet, except that artists are the most dangerous class because they can move through the classes. I don’t come from parents who taught me to do anything I liked because they never got to do anything they liked. I am blessed that being an artist was a total mystery. I had no grand ideas of what this would mean. I just made it work as best I could. I have worked at a bakery, I taught art lessons, I painted fancy handbags, I illustrated newspaper articles, I catered – all so I could live my life as best as I could. To this day, I am on Medi-Cal because we don’t offer anything for freelancers that is reasonable in terms of healthcare. This also shouldn’t even be a political issue, it’s about humanity. We need artists, teachers and scientists more than we need bankers and politicians.
You draw, paint, sew, make music and design prints. How did you go about learning so many different mediums?
Survival! Well, except for drawing, painting and printmaking (I guess, in that respect, I did go to art school). But sewing I learned on the job, and music, well, I am still figuring that out. For music, I have to come from a performance-art angle, so it’s less about virtuosity. When you grow up in a household where English is a second language and you're a latch-key kiddo, you learn to reverse-engineer most things. It’s a skill I have applied to the arts.
As a multi-disciplinary artist, you’ve accrued a vast skillset. Which artistic craft first drew you into the world of art? Currently, do you have a favorite, or would that be like choosing a favorite child?
Drawing was the first thing I could get my hands on. It’s very easy, you can find paper and anything to make marks. But I also was never satisfied with the store-bought doll clothes. Many of my grandpa’s handkerchiefs went missing so I could give my dolls some new dresses. Right now, it is music. I feel grateful that I am in a band singing on a stage. Honestly, I think I skirted a mid-life crisis because I was thrown into learning how to play in a band. Taking up space at an age when society stops paying attention to women feels like the right move currently.
Have there been any artists or creative influences that have guided you, especially when you were just starting out?
You know, I had a really great professor named Ken Rignall, who told me that I was relying too much on being “good” at drawing. Sure, I was a good draftsperson, but it made me a bad artist. I was too uptight to be expressive or open. I am grateful for his advice to this day, and now, that’s how I teach my own figure drawing classes. I also have beautiful artist friends like Ako Castuera, Rob Sato and Tania Enriquez who keep me honest and grounded as my art community.
What has been one of the most unexpected lessons or challenges you've faced as an artist?
I think being an artist in the world we live in is pretty hard. I don’t think of myself as a particularly radical person, but being an independent artist has radicalized me about the structure of America. When I was younger, I just chalked most things up to, “I am not good enough or working hard enough.” But we now have language and tools to parse out why making tons of money as an artist is nearly impossible and problematic. If I am making money off of things I just make with my hands, it would be pretty hard to make that many things without burning out. And if I start having assistants and other people make my things, then I am not making them anymore. It’s more complex than one can write, but I think you get to where I’m going? Or not! I reflect all the time on what I am putting out into the world, how long it lives and who consumes it. This is not what I expected being an artist would be like when I was 25 years old.
Can you share what it was like to showcase your artwork for the first time?
Oh boy, you are just opening the doors for anyone to say anything they want regardless of experience. I did have a drawing teacher tell me my figure drawings were amazing and my paintings were really bad. Which actually was very helpful commentary. Drawing is something I had been doing forever, painting I didn’t understand yet, and somehow it didn’t deter me.
You and your boyfriend are going on tour with your band, Monde UFO, in March. Can you tell us a bit about how you got into music and how your band was formed?
Monde UFO was created because my boyfriend had just been in so many bands, that he decided that I should just be in the band. The unglamorous part of being in a band is managing schedules, needs, and personalities while making the music. I think for him he concluded that he already knew how to fight with me and get things done with me, enough so that it didn’t matter that I had no musical experience. This was something I could learn along the way, and for him it was more manageable than 3 other people. For me, it was nice to learn a new form of art, it really helped me appreciate all performing arts in a way I couldn’t have as a visual artist. For him it’s kind of refreshing watching someone learn something new.
How does living in a place like Echo Park influence your creativity? Are there any hidden gems in the area that you find especially inspiring?
Echo Park is changing more than I would like. We lost some luminaries like Patra Burger and Ms. Donut, but we have some special gems like Heavy Manners Library, which is a beautiful DIY community space where I also teach Life Drawing. I live here so I can walk around and ride my bike, which keeps me on the streets, participating in the world.
Are there any daily rituals or creative practices that help you stay grounded, especially when life gets hectic?
Oh man, this is what life is actually about. Everything you do really boils down to this. And everything you do extends from this point. I light incense every second I get, which I think is some kind of telephone to the spirit world. I try really hard to journal every day. And, if I could, I would do everything from the bath. Life does get hectic, but I try really hard to only allow my attention to go to a few things per day.
What sign are you? Do you resonate with your zodiac placements?
I am a Cancer Sun, Cancer Rising. Sun in that first house vision. I love my zodiac placements because I feel like life is a little less personal. Like, “Oh, it’s in the stars.” It feels like a good personality roadmap so I know what I can work on.
What’s the best advice your mother gave you?
My mom has really great taste – a real beauty. She told me, “I don’t need grandkids or for you to ever get married.” To me, that felt like permission to live a life she didn’t get to live.
Favorite curse word?
I love “little bitch.” Maybe not as cussy but gets right to the point.
We sat down with the LA-based multi-media artist to learn how she moves through life with a blend of creativity, authenticity and purpose.
