Inside the studio and creative mind of Zhang Huan, one of the most recognized Chinese artists working in both the US and China. His latest exhibition at the Asia Society includes performance works, photographs, and sculpture.

Labels: art

Emi Meyer talks to Kathy Hsieh, Community Development and Outreach Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs for the City of Seattle,at the 2007 Mayor's Arts Awards Ceremony.

BTW: The 2007 Mayor's Arts Awards Ceremony can be seen on Seattle Channel. NOTE: The three hour plus video program requires Real Player.

Labels: art, interview

Conrado "Manny" Manuel has been creating replicas of 14th century Japanese landscape lanterns for 14 years. He left the Philippines at 23 years-old and joined the US Navy to "see the world."

Labels: art, event, interview, Japanese, vendor

In Part 3 of our interview with Josh Yiu Assistant Curator of Chinese Art, we learn what keeps him up at night, switching his major in college from physics to art history and the difference between American and Asian artists.

Labels: art, interview

In Part 2 of our personal profile interview series with Josh Yiu, Seattle Art Museum Chinese Art Curator, he talks about his education, his vision and offers advice to students interested in pursuring careers as art curators.

Josh holds a doctorate in oriental studies from Oxford University and has interned at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

"The buzz in the Chinese art community around the country is that he's like the rising star," says museum spokeswoman Cara Egan. (Seattle Times, December 14, 2005)

Labels: art

Josh Yiu, Foster Foundation Assistant Curator of Chinese Art at the Seattle Aisian Art Museum, gives Hyun-Jung Jang, a Korean journalism student visiting Seattle to learn English, a tour of the exhibit - "Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art" that opened on August 9th and closes December 2, 2007.

"This exhibition examines the impact and notion of the book in the artists' upbringing and in their art. In contrast to traditional artworks that had a foundation in texts, the book—and knowledge by extension—inspires art-making in contemporary China in an almost perverse way, because many book-related artworks parody the purpose and power of the book. Artists created unintelligible books with blurred characters, or books devoid of a logical sequence or narrative, thereby nullifying the authority of the text." - SAM Press Release July 9, 2007

Labels: art, Japanese

In 2006, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) hired Josh Yiu as their assistant curator of Chinese Art. Hyun-Jung Jang, a Korean journalis In 2006, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) hired Josh Yiu as their assistant curator of Chinese Art. Hyun-Jung Jang, a Korean journalism student visiting Seattle to learn English, talks to the Oxford Ph.D graduate about his job, family and artwork.

"What visitors see hanging on museum walls and installed in various rooms is brought on by the hard work of a museum curator. Josh explains his duties, "The museum curator has two responsibilities. They are expected to advertise the museum's collections through scholarly writings, publications and exhibitions. The other aspect is to expand the collections." This entails both acquiring new art and encouraging collectors to donate works to the museum. Josh sums it up as, "get the works known for the things we already have, get them known to the outside world and try to get more to enrich the collection." - Excerpt of International Examiner Article BY BETTINA PALILEO, Contributor. Read More

Labels: art, ie story

Nhien Nguyen, editor International Examiner, interviews Portland-based Jiro Yonezawa, Japanese bamboo artist, at the William Traver Galleryo opening reception August 2.

Jiro's exhibit is called Crossroads that represents a selection of his uniquely expressive woven bamboo and mixed media sculptures. Each piece combines a deep respect for the traditions of Japanese basketry with an American zest for self-expression and innovation.

Yonezawa studied traditional bamboo basketry techniques in Japan before moving to the United States in 1989. He uses imported Japanese mandake bamboo as the primary material in most of his pieces, which is known for its hardness, flexibility, strength and surface quality. He hand-splits each strip, finishing each to the same width and thickness, bevels the edges, and then dyes and lacquers them.

Jiro Yonezawa's Crossroads will be on display at the William Traver Gallery-Seattle through September 2nd, 2007. Gallery Profile

Jiro Yonezawa: Japanese basketry as sculpture at William Traver Gallery

BY CLAIRE EMIKO FANT
Examiner Contributor

Jiro Yonezawa is a soft-spoken Japanese artist who prefers to let his artwork do most of the talking for him. His medium is the art and craft of Japanese bamboo basket weaving, which he brings into the realm of sculptural form. The pieces in his current exhibit, “Crossroads,” at William Traver Gallery in Seattle, are eloquent and graceful. The details reveal Yonezawa’s skill and passion in working with bamboo using time-honored traditional techniques. Read More

Labels: art, ie story, Japanese