“Are You Able to ____ Me?”: A Journey into Connection and Selfhood by Artist Cleo Peng

**”Can You ____ Me?”: An Examination of Connection and Identity by Artist Cleo Peng**

Contemporary artist Cleo Peng has enchanted audiences with her thought-provoking and explorative work, “Can You ____ Me?”, a multidisciplinary initiative that delves into the shifting nature of human connection, identity, and emotional transparency in today’s digital era. Through a combination of interactive installations, conceptual photography, and insightful written pieces, Peng encourages viewers to reflect on the blanks — the absent, the misconstrued, and the unsaid — that influence our connections with ourselves and others.

### Completing the Blank

The title, “Can You ____ Me?”, poses an open-ended question that serves as the thematic core of Peng’s project. The blank exists as a reflection, prompting each viewer to grapple with their own uncertainties, aspirations, and interpretations. Words like “see,” “hear,” “understand,” or “forgive” could fill in the blank — each viewer may select a different word, unveiling their personal struggles or emotional requirements.

“The blank is not intended to be filled with certainty,” Peng states. “It’s designed to uncover ambiguity — the space where our fears and desires reside.”

This ambiguity adds to the emotional richness of the work. By deliberately withholding a ‘true’ or ‘complete’ message, Peng invites the audience to become active participants in the artwork, co-creators in the process of meaning-making.

### Investigating Identity through Multimedia

Peng’s multimedia methodology emphasizes the intricacies of contemporary identity. Her installations frequently merge visual symbolism with sound, text, and digital elements. In one exhibit, guests traverse a dimly lit space, illuminated solely by shifting projections of disjointed faces and body parts. As they move, motion sensors cause the projections to align or break apart further, reflecting how identity is perpetually changing and often dependent on external perceptions.

Another section of the exhibit showcases a digital mirror that reveals not the viewer’s reflection, but a delayed, stylized representation of their image accompanied by captions such as “Am I enough?” or “Do you recognize me?” These prompts underscore the disconnection between self-perception, how others perceive us, and the mediation of technology.

### Themes of Isolation and Belonging

Peng’s work draws significantly from her personal journey as a multicultural individual straddling East and West. Born in Singapore and currently residing in New York, her upbringing and transnational identity inform her artistic perspective. This is evident in her nuanced depiction of loneliness and the desire for connection — feelings that are broadly human yet profoundly influenced by cultural context.

“I grew up continuously negotiating my identity based on who I was with,” Peng shares. “In certain languages, ‘I’ isn’t expressed the same way as in English. That shaped my self-understanding — and how I believed others saw me.”

In tackling themes of isolation, Peng’s work critiques the performative aspect of online identities and the commercialization of personal identity in the digital realm. One installation from “Can You ____ Me?” resembles a dating app interface where viewers swipe through representations of various identity labels — “Introvert,” “Asian-American,” “Queer,” “Immigrant” — only to witness the profiles gradually converging into a singular blank screen. The outcome serves as a chilling commentary on how society assigns significance and comprehension through simplistic categories.

### Interactivity and Empathy

Peng’s focus on interactivity is not just an artistic choice but also a philosophical stance. In an age where empathy is frequently nurtured (or diminished) through screens, Peng’s work aspires to guide viewers back into embodied, mindful engagement. Her audience does not merely observe; they activate the art through their presence.

In one participatory piece titled “Echo Chamber,” attendees can whisper personal inquiries into a wall-mounted speaker. Moments later, their words are played back, distorted and overlaid with others’ anonymous inputs. The resulting audio tapestry is eerie yet intimate — a chorus of unheard voices yearning to be acknowledged, to receive answers.

“I wanted people to experience what it feels like to not be genuinely heard, even while speaking,” Peng explains. “This is a reality many of us face emotionally every day.”

### The Universal Inquiry

Ultimately, “Can You ____ Me?” is more about posing the right questions than delivering answers. By presenting a framework that encourages reflection rather than prescription, Peng’s project transcends conventional artistic and philosophical boundaries. It prompts us to confront the dynamics of our relationships — to consider the invisible threads of empathy, misunderstanding, vulnerability, and hope that bind us together.

In our hyperconnected yet emotionally fragmented reality, Cleo Peng’s work offers a much-needed moment of introspection — a chance to ask ourselves, and one another, with authenticity: Can you truly know me? Can I genuinely be seen?

Regardless of whether we can respond to that query, perhaps the very act of inquiring is what enhances our humanity.

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**About the Artist**
Cleo Peng is a