BIO
Meng Meng de Souza, born in China, currently resides in Nassau, Bahamas, and Chicago, IL. Meng Meng started her artistic journey from a young age, taught by Sue Bennett Williams. Under the guidance of Ms. Williams, Meng Meng was able to showcase her work at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, Central Bank of the Bahamas, and Lynden Pindling International Airport. Meng Meng started her design studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in architecture and later on switched to designed objects in furniture. Meng Meng is expected to graduate in May of 2026. In recognition of her academic and artistic achievements at The Grier School, she was awarded the Merit Scholarship for 2022-2026 for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Artist Statement
Architecture taught me that a space is defined by the people who are moving through it, inhabiting it, but that relationship is broken down by the objects placed inside it. Furniture placed its presence in our daily lives, sometimes static, indifferent, and disconnected to the people who are inhabiting it.
I design furniture with intentions of movement, literally and intentionally. A chair that can be broken down and reassembled, traveling with its owner. A LAMP that is composed of three independent sections, each with their own light sources. Enabling the user to scatter each section across a room to customize the atmosphere or stack them together into a single form. These are not just functional objects; they represent a belief that furniture should cohabit a space with its owner, adapting to their needs, their habits, and their personality.