‘Borders and Memory’ exhibition features work of Asian-born artists

‘Borders and Memory’ exhibition features work of Asian-born artistsSeptember 01, 2005Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

From Sept. 11-Oct. 12, the Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery will present “Borders and Memory,” a selection of works by artists born in Asia who now reside in the United States. These artists have won numerous awards, and their artwork has been exhibited worldwide. The gallery will host an opening reception for the exhibit on Sunday, Sept. 11, from 3-5 p.m. in the Shaffer Galleria. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public.

“Borders and Memory” includes artists working in various media, from several countries, at different points in the trajectory of their careers. Each artist deals with borders and memory, although in profoundly different ways as judged by content, imagery, materials and techniques. Yet within this diversity, there is a common thread: each artist, in obvious or subtle ways, using direct evidence or working through more metaphorical means, examines the continuum where border and memory merge.

Chien-Chi ChangBorn in Taiwan, Chang received a bachelor’s degree from Soochow University in 1984 and a master’s from Indiana University in 1990. He joined the photographic cooperative Magnum Photos in 1995. Magnum photographers chronicle the world, interpreting its peoples, events, issues and personalities. Chang has won many awards for his photography, including the Pictures of the Year “Best of Photography Book” in 2003 for his book “The Chain” (Trolley, 2002) and first place for Issue Reporting in a magazine from the National Press Photographers Association in 1999. His work has been exhibited at venues such as the Venice Biennale and the Sao Paulo Biennial. The works by Chang in this exhibition are from his most recent book, “Double Happiness” (Aperture, 2005), which examines the practice of arranged marriages between Vietnamese country girls and Taiwanese men.

Chan Chao Chao was born in Burma (now Myanmar) and came to the U.S. with his family in 1978. He has exhibited widely, including shows at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Picker Art Gallery, Hamilton, N.Y.; the Robert Menschel Gallery, Syracuse University; and the Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York City. In 1998, Chao participated in Light Work’s Summer Artist-in-Residence program and was invited to show in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. “Borders and Memory” highlights several works from Chao’s series of portraits “Burma: Something Went Wrong,” which includes over 150 portraits of students and young rebels who aimed to restore democracy to the country by launching guerrilla attacks against the controlling military regime.

Jeeyun KimKim was born in Seoul, Korea, and received her master’s in photography from New York University in 2003. She has exhibited widely in galleries across New York City, including the Cantor Film Center and Gallery Korea. In 2003, Kim won a Community Service Grant Award from NYU for her Video & Origami Therapy Project in PS 137. “Borders and Memory” showcases Kim’s video m, in which an 82 year-old woman tells her life story, focusing primarily on her thoughts and memories of motherhood, aging and the death of her husband.

Bari KumarBorn in India, Kumar currently lives and works in Los Angeles, Calif.. He received his bachelor’s in graphic design from Otis/Parsons School of Design in L.A. in 1988. After working as a designer for O! Boy Clothing Co. and LA Gear, Kumar worked as a color stylist for animated TV shows such as “The Critic,” “Felix the Cat,” “Baby Blues” and “Futurama.” In 2000, Kumar won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation as the color stylist for “Futurama.” His artwork has been exhibited at the Bose Pacia Gallery, New York City; the Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles; the Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica, Calif.; and the Queens Museum of Art, New York City. Kumar has received international attention through reviews in publications such as Art in America, Asian Art News and Flash Art. For this exhibition, Kumar’s “Live and Let Live” is a monumental work standing seven feet tall and 30 feet long that montages imagery and ideas from a variety of Eastern and Western cultures.

Daniel LeeLee was born in China, raised in Taiwan and currently lives in New York City. He received his bachelor’s in fine arts from Culture University in Taipei and his master’s from Philadelphia College of Art. He has worked as an art director, creative director and photographer. In the early 1980s, Lee received many awards for his commercial work. He was selected as a judge for the Art Director’s Annual and the New York Festival several times. Lee’s exhibition venues have included the Fogg Museum, Harvard University; the Landes Museum, Linz, Austria; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; O.K., Harris Works of Art, NYC; and the Science Museum, London. Lee’s works were shown at the 2003 Venice Biennale and the 2004 Whitstable Biennial in Kent, U.K. “Borders and Memory” shows work from his “Origin” series, in which he uses digital imaging to transform his subjects into animal-like forms.

“Borders and Memory” is being shown in conjunction with two important Syracuse University campus-wide events. The first is Syracuse Symposium, a semester-long intellectual and artistic festival celebrating interdisciplinary thinking, imagining and creating whose theme for Fall 2005 is “Borders.” Throughout the semester, the symposium will explore the ways in which borders –visible and invisible–impact humankind in profound ways socially, politically, culturally, artistically, intellectually and personally. For more information, visit http://symposium.syr.edu.

Additionally, the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts, is hosting an international, interdisciplinary conference “Contesting Public Memories,” Oct. 6-8 at venues on and off campus. The conference seeks to expand the broad interdisciplinary conversation about public memory. The conference is organized by faculty from a wide range of disciplines. For more information, visit http://vpa.syr.edu/crs/memories.htm. A reception for the conference will be held in the Shaffer Galleria, Oct. 7 from 5:30-7 p.m.

“Borders and Memory” is being supported by The College of Arts and Sciences; the English Language Institute of University College; the Graduate Program in Museum Studies; a gift from Alex Nason; the Office of the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts; the photography area of the Department of Transmedia; the Robert B. Menschel Endowment; South Asia Center; the Syracuse Symposium; U.Encounter, the Division of Student Affairs; and the VisCom Symposium. The exhibition is being developed in cooperation with Light Work, Syracuse University; and the Bose Pacia and Yancey Richardson galleries, both of which are located in New York City.

The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery is located in the Shaffer Art Building on the Syracuse University Quad and is handicapped accessible. Exhibitions are free and open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays and during major religious and national holidays. For more information, call (315) 443-3127.