Toshiko Nishikawa: Senbazuru @ The Vilcek Foundation

A trip to the Vilcek Foundation was initiated by my students, who first learned about the Toshiko Nishikawa's exhibition via facebook. I was ecstatic to learn about their desire to immerse themselves into the Japanese culture through their own means, particularly in the arts. The Vilcek Foundation was founded by two immigrant lovers, a biomedical scientist and art historian, who wanted to create opportunities for immigrants like themselves. The Foundation achieves its mission through hosting immigrant artists and performers at their gallery space in NYC, such as Toshiko Nishikawa.

Senbazuru, a interactive installation by Toshiko Nishikawa, offered viewers to see oneself in 1,000 different ways (senbazuru is Japanese for "1,000 origami cranes" and refers to a prayer for others' health and happiness). Each of the 1,000 orbs, which are also hand-painted by the artist, is connected to those around it, and by peering into the concave mirror contained within each orb, visitors not only see themselves, but become linked to those standing nearby. As a viewer, the idea of interconnectedness on a global level truly unveils as I see my students, who are from the South Bronx, place themselves in the perspective of those surrounding them, as well as the artist.

Source: http://www.vilcek.org/gallery/on-view-now/index.html

Learning to Love You More Assignments @ SFMOMA

Learning to Love You More, Miranda July & Harell Fletcher

Miranda July has always caught my eye in some way or another and it was no surprise when I gravitated toward this piece, Learning to Love You More, at SFMOMA. 

70. Say goodbye.

69. Climb to the top of a tree and take a picture of the view.

68. Feel the news.

67. Repair something.

66. Make a field guide to your yard.

65. Perform the phone call someone else wished they could have.

64. Teach us an exercise.

63. Make an encouraging banner.

62. Make an educational public plaque.

61. Describe your ideal government.

60. Write a press release about an everyday event.

59. Interview someone who has experienced war.

58. Record the sound that is keeping you awake.

57. Lipsync to shy neighbor's Garth Brooks cover.

56. Make a portrait of your friend's desires.

55. Photograph a significant outfit.

54. Draw the news.

53. Give advice to yourself in the past.

52. Write the phone call you wish you could have.

51. Describe what to do with your body when you die.

50. Take a flash photo under your bed.

49. Draw a picture of your friend's friend.

48. Make the saddest song.

47. Re-enact a scene from a movie that made someone else cry.

46. Draw Raymond Carver's Cathedral.

45. Reread your favorite book from fifth grade.

44. Make a "LTLYM assignment".

43. Make an exhibition of the art in your parent's house.

42. List five events from 1984.

41. Document your bald spot.

40. Heal yourself.

39. Take a picture of your parents kissing.

38. Act out someone else's argument.

37. Write down a recent argument.

36. Grow a garden in an unexpected spot.

35. Ask your family to describe what you do.

34. Make a protest sign and protest.

33. Braid someone's hair.

32. Draw a scene from a movie that made you cry.

31. Spend time with a dying person.

30. Take a picture of strangers holding hands.

29. Make an audio recording of a choir.

28. Edit a photo album page.

27. Take a picture of the sun.

26. Design an article of clothing for Mona to crochet.

25. Make a video of someone dancing.

24. Cover the song"Don't Dream It's Over".

23. Recreate this snapshot.

22. Recreate a scene from Laura Lark's life story.

21. Sculpt a bust of Steve.

20. Take a family portrait of two families.

19. Illustrate a scene or make an object from Paul Arensmeyer's life story.

18. Recreate a poster you had as a teenager.

17. Record your own guided meditation.

16. Make a paper replica of your bed.

15. Hang a windchime on a tree in a parking lot.

14. Write your life story in less than a day.

13. Recreate the moment after a crime.

12. Get a temporary tattoo of one of Morgan Rozacky's neighbors.

11. Photograph a scar and write about it.

10. Make a flier of your day.

9. Draw a constellation from someone's freckles.

8. Curate an artist's retrospective in a public place.

7. Recreate 3 minutes of a Fresh Air interview.

6. Make a poster of shadows.

5. Recreate an object from someone's past.

4. Start a lecture series.

3. Make a documentary video about a small child.

2. Make a neighborhood field recording.

1. Make a child's outfit in an adult size.  

I absolutely love lists, especially since my mind seems to constantly organize and categorize lists. Lists provide a sense of peace for me; it's a concise and direct way for me to place my thoughts together on paper. 

Source: http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/

Arboreal Census of Central Park, the beginning

Arboreal Census of Central Park, Tree #1

Inspired by an NYMag article (http://nymag.com/news/features/67404/) that documented 23 notable trees in Central Park, Annie and I decided to take on art adventure, in which we locate all 23 trees, draw them and hopefully, share with you all at our spring exhibition.

We're starting with the trees located in upper Manhattan and will work our way downtown. Our very first tree, The New Grove, was located on E 103rd & 5th Ave. After an area near 103rd Street was stripped bare by the storm, Neil Calvanese, the CP Conservancy's VP of operations and all-around tree guru, saw a change to plant something he always wanted to try: a little grove of dawn redwoods, a.k.a Metasequoia glyptostroboides. They're beautiful trees, with delicate-looking needle-like leaves that have been seen in fossils that are about 50 million years old, and they can grow to 200 feet at maturity.

In hopes to share our adventure with our loved ones, we made holiday cards based on our very first drawings. Thank you, Annie, for introducing me to letter pressing!

WASTE LAND, Vik Muniz

WASTE LAND


I first learned about Vik Muniz at UCLA from my TA, and I fell in love with his work immediately. Though he typically appropriates well known images, his use of every day objects on such a large scale really plays with the lay person's eye. His use of materials is thoughtful and provokes the reader to reevaluate the image's meaning.

Synopsis: Filmed over nearly 3 years, Waste Land follows Vik muiz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brasil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janiero. Muniz's initial objective was to "paint" the catadores (self-designated pickers of recyclable materials) with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives.

Source:  http://www.wastelandmovie.com/vik-muniz.html

Storm King

This post is long overdue and it's awful of me to keep these photographs hidden away-- my apologies! NYC summers are the worse: humidity and just too many people in such small quarters. In search for some fresh air and open space, my friends and I took a trip to Storm King Art Center, a five hundred acre museum of landscaped lawns, fields, and woodlands that serves as a site for postwar sculptures by artists such as David Smith, Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Liberman, and Richard Serra. You see the fusion of sculpture and mother nature at its best, as light and weather changes (or integrates into) the physical aspects of each art piece. It felt so surreal; I've never experienced sculpture at such aptitude where a man-made object can occupy a massive space with such ease. 

Jill Auckenthaler

Jill, "the superhuman," is a visual artist and a singer while simultaneously coordinating high quality, free art classes for the underserved youth in NYC. Drawing from her digital calendar, she makes paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, and sound pieces that explore her anxiety about time. From what I saw from her paintings, it seems as though Jill deals quite well with time. With each deliberate stroke, I was able follow Jill's thought process which oddly enough carried a different tone to each part of her day. Engulfed by the larger paintings, I found myself going through the motion of our days as an adult: wake up, eat, work, eat, rest. It may sound so mundane, but each colorful line somehow fills those particular moments of our day with purpose.

For more visual pleasure: http://jillauckenthaler.com/home.html
For musical entertainment: http://uvamusic.com/fr_news.cfm

(mainstream) Performance Art

I first learned about performance art years ago in my New Genres course at UCLA. Performance art serves as a vehicle for artists to blend different artistic medias and disciplines.
My cousin, Shelley, recently attended a concert, in which she saw her first performance art piece by David Garibaldi. He's quite talented, and I am happy to see that performance art is becoming mainstream amongst our young people. He's the not the greatest dancer or painter but somehow, his ability to draw the audience through movement, sound, and visual stimulation is quite intriguing. I believe his most receptive pieces are of celebrities and icons, which is unfortunate because when he performed a self portrait there was much less of an ecstatic response. In any case, you can check out the video and conjure up your own thoughts and opinions. Enjoy!