Katie Gong + Aleksandra Zee
I’LL BE YOUR MIRROR
Interview by Harper Brokaw-Falbo | Photographs by Emily Scott
May 7, 2020
Right now we live in a world of reflection; self-reflection, as many of us, quarantined inside our homes, try to grasp the enormity of the moment; and the literal reflection of our zoom calls, facetime, and all the other pixelated portals that have become our lifelines to one another. Unfortunately both—the screen, intermingling with our “IRL” perception of ourselves— can come back to us warped. Even when not living through a pandemic, it’s good to have unfiltered mirrors that ground you to counterbalance the digital funhouse we live in. Fortunately for Aleksandra Zee and Katie Gong, they have been providing one another with an honest reflection, and as Zee charmingly rhymed, “because we are each other’s mirror, we see each other crystal clear.”
“Anything Katie could ever do, never makes my life feel dim, when she was in The New York Times, I felt like I was in the Times.”
As woodworkers, Zee and Gong have independently made names for themselves in a landscape where many artists have flown to cheaper, and less competitive pastures. As artists, they’ve turned their work into viable businesses, and as women, working in fields long dominated by men—woodworking and sculpture— they’ve risen. Zee’s geometric, precise work complements Gong’s soft curved knots, both of which have become staples in Bay Area environments and at West Coast Craft, a fair that they both exuberantly credited with helping them get their names on the proverbial map.
“because we are each other’s mirror, we see each other crystal clear.”
While the two no longer share a studio space as Zee works out of her shop in Oakland, and Gong in her studio in Marin, they’re constantly communicating. “I feel like we talk and interact just as much as when we were sharing a space” stated Zee, at which point Gong interjected that they communicate perhaps even more now that Gong isn’t leaving the “little messes” that bugged Zee, who really likes a clean glue top. It is this back and forth candor that makes it clear that they don’t hold back from one another.
“We’re a sounding board for each other, with our ideas, and just life advice,” elaborated Gong, who includes that it was Zee she called first when she found out she was pregnant. While they say their honesty with one another came naturally, it was strengthened when they worked side-by-side as struggling artists early in their careers.
Speaking to that time, Zee went on to say, “there was no room for pride,” a motto that they’ve held onto as their careers have blossomed and they celebrate each other’s success. “Anything Katie could ever do, never makes my life feel dim, when she was in The New York Times, I felt like I was in the Times.” When asked about how their practices and corresponding work might mirror their personalities Gong states, “in art, we have our roles, and at home, it's a flip flop. “Katie inspires me to be more organic and go with the flow,” although Zee says that really, they are very similar “passionate people.”
When asked what advice they would pass on to women, entrepreneurial women, and women in the arts, Gong kept it simple: “Find your people. One of the reasons Al and I have been successful is we have each other. When things don’t feel good around the people in your circle or a gallery you’re trying to work with, and if it doesn’t feel good, do not invest. Focus on the relationships that are the most important.”
Zee adds: “Something I’ve really adopted in the past years is that if it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a no, and let that feeling be your guide. Collaborations need to feel like a hell yeah, and both parties need to feel heard. It did take me a while to come to that, and now I feel like life is infinitely easier when it comes to choices. Also, who cares if you’re a woman doing something typically done by a male—continue to do what you want to do and leave your pride at the door.”
