B.O.B.A. Brought Over By Airplane
Exhibition by Jess Loves Boba at OkBeKind Art Gallery Jan 23 – Feb 12, 2026
A term of identification.
Fresh off the boat is outdated. American Born Chinese (ABC) isn’t an accurate description for me. I was born in China and came to America when I was 7.
The terms that are thrown around to describe immigrants often have negative connotations. Labels are used to ostracize and even criminalize immigrants (“illegal alien”). No matter how we got here, we are all human.
Starting from the “door” you will see a red diagonal square with the character “福” fú written, hanging upside down. Means good fortune and happiness. This is a common decoration Chinese households hang for the Lunar New Year to welcome in good luck. Often hung upside down because the word for “upside down” and “arrives” sound similar.
The Lucky Cat greets you in front of the titular poster for the exhibit.
To the right of lucky cat is a Hello Kitty Shirley Temple (pretend it’s boba), I made with resin from a mini brands kit.
Abstract artwork on the floor acts as a rug, to fill in negative space.
Also part of the welcoming crew is the Ugly Penguin (affectionately). The first and only 3D printed creation of mine. I took a free 3D modeling class at the Evanston Public Library just to learn more art skills. I was really embarrassed of this guy and thought he was ugly but I included him in the exhibition because he represents learning new skills and that it’s okay to create imperfect things. Yay public libraries and community resources <3
Hello Kitty in a Northwestern t-shirt (NU-tee Kitty) represents me when I was in college. Northwestern is the reason I moved to Illinois, and it is also the place I met so many Asian American friends, participated in cultural clubs and events, and ultimately came to accept my third culture identity.
Northwestern as an institution however, was also suffocating, which led me to leave before graduating. Searching for any source of income, I became a dog groomer, which coincidentally is a lifelong passion of mine.
NU-tee Kitty stands in front of a portrait of Affogato. The brown Aussiedoodle is a loyal client of mine, who has followed me from working at a corporation to a locally owned shop. Coincidentally Affogato’s owner is also from the same province in China as me.
Above Affogato is a portrait of Pibble, an Internet meme usually accompanied by the voiceover “wash my belly, clean my belly.” He is positioned higher up to indicate that he is a deity to be worshipped.
This corner represents the transition from higher education to a fulfilling career that defies the status quo.
“Crazy epic pibble hits the dab” no explanation needed.
Sugar glider eating tong sui – a sweet dessert soup that I grew up eating, it is common in Cantonese cuisine, and there are many different types and ingredients used. In this drawing the tong sui includes the ingredients: dates, goji berries, snow fungus, and longan. Yum.
Portrait of a Chow Chow – a dog breed that originated in Northern China. I drew this portrait for a friend made through Subtle Asian Chicago. Yay community.
On the bench we have Georgia with a lil acorn hat. All the gallery residents received an acorn hat.
The pages of Chinese script is a transcription of the Ballad of Mulan, a text that most kids in China learn to recite in school.
Specifically I wanted to highlight the parts of the poem that felt similar to my own story: Mulan leaving her family behind, putting on a disguise to hide her identity, and returning to her family after 10 years, and the excitement and celebration that followed.
The pages on the bench represent journal records of my childhood that I could no longer access, the more American I became. This is a reference to a poem I wrote called “My Dear Friend” about leaving my friends behind in China when I moved to the U.S. at age 7, and the emotional impact of rejecting my own culture to assimilate.
Galloping Horse “马不停蹄” Ink brush pen
The upcoming Lunar New Year is Year of the Horse, I was also born Year of the Horse. I chose to draw a galloping horse because it is in a state of constant motion. The phrase “马不停蹄” mǎbùtíngtí is a Chinese proverb that means unrelenting, or horse continuing without rest.
The school girl Hello Kitty represents me directly after moving to the U.S. age 7. She is the painter of the artwork in front of her, hence the paint supplies scattered around her.
Top: cherry shrimp and guppy grass drawn from my own fish tank, I made this during the Glenwood Ave Arts Festival. I <3 aquariums and aquascaping.
Bottom: 2025 adaptation of childhood painting
The combination of these two drawings create an aquatic themed wall, to show how aquatic scenes have inspired my art from a young age, and continue to influence my current body of work.
Original childhood painting:
Made at age 7 with a Crayola watercolor palette and white crayon, this untitled aquatic scene demonstrates experimentation and powerful movements in color.
I discovered that when you draw outlines with a crayon and use water based paint on top, the lines made with crayon would remain (wax resist).
The artwork in this wing are all local scenes.
The top two paintings on the right wall were painted with acrylic markers in Chicago’s Chinatown, atop an artificial hill that used to be a landfill. Now it is a park and picnic area. The sun was peaking through the clouds, and I wanted to capture its rays.
Bottom left is a colored pencil drawing of weeds and clovers in Rogers Park.
Koi pond just cause ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I thought it would be fun to create an optical illusion of a pond on the floor. Also a chance to include the pink LEGO froggie. Jean-Michel is watching the koi fish.
Walking in the Rogers Park neighborhood I am often mesmerized by the local plant life, even the weeds. They are intriguing to me because of their geometric patterns and their persistence to grow, on dry ground, in the cracks of concrete, and even in between fences. Even though weeds are often considered unwanted, I still consider them beautiful. They represent resilience, and that life will persist no matter the conditions.
The drawing of three buildings is a scene from Foster Beach made with acrylic, watercolor markers, and ink pen.
The black bunny holding a paintbrush is a model of my current self, her tattoos match my tattoos, and her fur color matches my hair.
Top: Glitch fairy girl with a flower crown, created for the Dream is Destiny Art Market at the Hammy Wammy.
Bottom: landscape nature scene, also a scene from Rogers Park neighborhood that remains perpetually unfinished.
I made the glitch girl drawing with acrylic brush markers to advertise the Hammy Wammy art market, which included several Rogers Park artists! The inspiring theme for this piece was “Dream is Destiny” and I included elements from the other artists I was vending with.
The glitchy background is a reference to Virginia and Rohan who make glitch art and trippy visuals.
The flower crown and wings were a nod to August, who makes flower crowns, fairy wands, and embroidered jewelry.
You will notice the subject in the painting is outlined in black on some parts of her body, but there are parts like her feet and chest that seem to melt into the colors of her surroundings. This calls into question how we interact with the environment around us.
What part of you is separate from your environment? What part of you is integrated? To what extent do you create or contribute to your environment?
This piece represents the celebration of a diverse group of local artists coming together.
The four colors of the background behind the plane represent the four seasons, different skies, and also four different flavors of tea.
Green: matcha / spring
Orange/brown: black milk tea / summer
Purple: taro / autumn
Blue: butterfly pea / winter
The plane is always positioned going to the left, which represents the journey from east to west.
On the west wall:
Decorative paper cutouts I learned how to make in kindergarten
Pak Fa Fui Queen Mother Dried peach candy box unfolded so you can see all the beautiful artwork on the packaging. The brand is a Cantonese dried fruit and soy sauce company that is over 100 years old.
On the east wall:
Floral cutout from the shopping bag when I purchased an original Chinese brush painting at the OOAK Art Show.
That’s everything in this exhibit! Thank you for stopping by! I may add updated pictures over time and add links if I add any of the artwork to my online shop 🙂
Last edited 2/2/2026
Really great issue! Love Jess’s narrative and can’t wait to hear more. You two sure eat a lot of good food! ♥️♥️♥️