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Asian Art Contemporary Presents Group Exhibition: Time Lag
Poster credit: Asian Art Contemporary Time Lag indicates the interval between one arrival and the not yet arrival of the next. It is a common calculation among the travelers, especially those crossing borders, literal and metaphorical; the expected synchronization that never fully arrives. It is not simply a depiction of “in-betweenness,” nor is it emphasis of difference. It reflects a quasi-arrival yet a keen desire for complete transition, colliding with the ambiguity and disorientation derived from a partial absence.
The exhibition, Time Lag, traces three stages of this longing: the liminality between dreams and reality, between collective memory and individual diasporic narrative, and between the rationality and chaos.
Dream and Reality: From The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean, where a poor rural boy trades his only cow for a handful of magic beans that grow into a beanstalk reaching the clouds, to Sigrid Qian’s thorned stalk canvases, in which goose-yellow yet mysterious forms stretch toward interstellar space. In essence, this section opens a threshold between fantasy and materiality. The works resonate with the sensation of an arrived reality shadowed by vague delusions that repeatedly surface in the subconscious. Surreal imagery and fragmented narratives challenge our understanding of what it means to arrive.
Collective Memory and Individual Narrative: The artists in this section present aspirations and struggles embedded in transitional phases of cultural hybridity. Rooted in the Asian art diaspora, the exhibition carries forward narratives shaped by collective memory and mother tongue yet refracted through individual experience. Jennifer Ling Datchuk’s video work presents the crucial and provocative process through which society “tames” the gendered body, symbolized by the saddle-like braided hair. In Yezi Lou’s canvases, gazes turn back toward lived experience and childhood imagery—Pokémon and Ultraman—now estranged and alienated. Hannah Bang’s performance also reveals the presence of creativity within her embodied experience as she navigates new environments and communities. What remains is an embodied sensation of displacement, a condition in which, like many in the Asian diaspora, is persistently regarded as the perpetual foreigner.
Rationality and Chaos: Time Lag also moves beyond temporal transition to examine spatial perception. Material and geometric objects exist within rational space, yet perceived space becomes unstable and disordered. Through works by Shuai Xu, moments of geometric clarity coexist with fragmented installations, reflecting a world that oscillates between order and disorientation.
The exhibition begins at Sasse Museum, yet its inquiry extends far beyond the site. It invites viewers to look back at the transitions unfolding in the present, between arrival and absence.
Text by Huixian Dong, Ph.D.
Exhibition Dates
March 4 – 31, 2026Venue
300 South Thomas Street, Pomona, CA 91766Curator
Huixian Dong, Ph.D.Artists
Hannah Bang, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Yezi Lou, Sigrid Qian, Shuai XuCuratorial Assistant
Xinyue Zhang, Jianing LuProducer
Webson JiGallery Hours
Friday – Sunday | 1 PM – 4 PMSupport
Asian Artists Center, Sasse Museum of ArtWebsite
https://asianartcontemporary.comInstagram
https://www.instagram.com/asianartcontemporaryContact
info@asianartcontemporary.com(Text and images courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
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Asian Art in Focus: Asian Art Contemporary at HIAF 2025
From November 14–16, 2025 (Beijing), Horizon International Art Fair—presented by Art Horizon Co., Ltd. at MGM Shanghai West Bund—introduced its inaugural hotel-based edition under the theme “Art for Everyone, Everywhere.” Rooted in the belief that art should extend beyond gallery walls and into the rhythms of daily life, HIAF 2025 positioned itself not merely as an art fair but as an innovative, shared artistic experience. The fair brought together 37 galleries and institutions from China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond, along with more than 300 artists ranging from emerging creatives and cross-disciplinary performers to internationally recognized figures. Lived-in hotel spaces were transformed into intimate, immersive environments for artistic dialogue.
The everyday setting of the hotel offered a flexible platform for visual conversations around identity, emotion, and creative freedom—dialogues that transcended generations and national borders. Guest rooms, lounges, and corridors became exhibition sites where visitors did not simply view art but stayed with it, conversed with it, experienced it, and ultimately coexisted with it in a symbiotic way.
Asian Art Contemporary was honored to participate in HIAF as an exhibitor at Booth 51F B05, presenting a curated selection of works by three artists: Jingyi Wang, Apollo Wang, and ZiPu.
Jingyi Wang explores the delicate coexistence between fragility and sharpness. She channels the cactus—its resilience and solitude—as a vessel for expressing emotion and personal perspective. In Greenana, a cactus quietly hides beneath soft, expansive banana leaves. Although seemingly out of place in the humid tropics, it stubbornly continues to grow, much like how people conceal their anxieties beneath the gentleness of daily routines.
In Kaleidoscopic Light, the cactus stands amid the fleeting brilliance of a concert—intersecting beams of light, floating ribbons and confetti, and an atmosphere where music and emotion pulse together. Wang maintains a realist mode of thinking while integrating surrealist techniques, exploring the tension between the subconscious and the real world and seeking spiritual solace amid the pressures of contemporary life.
Apollo Wang’s works are grounded in contemplations and metaphors drawn from an Eastern visual lexicon. Mystery, symbolism, prophecy, and divination permeate his compositions, hinting at an unseen “cosmic order.” Engaging with traditional philosophical inquiry, Wang seeks to uncover an indigenous conception of life and destiny—tracing the subtle cultural codes embedded within it.
His series Rules points to the invisible principles underlying the proliferation of life. Across four works, Wang presents slices of life-forms at different moments in time and space: from their earliest sprouting, to increasing structural complexity, to the expansion of spatial presence, and finally to the emergence of a complete living system. The series attempts to capture the elusive moment of becoming—when energy turns into matter, when simplicity evolves into complexity, and when the one unfolds into the many. Between deconstruction and reconfiguration, between order and chaos, Rules reveals the essence of life’s continuous propagation: an unceasing cycle that follows its own inherent laws across boundless time and space.
ZiPu’s Raw Image Era series reflects the artist’s deep inquiry into traditional painting mediums within the context of the digital age. In today’s visual environment saturated with digital imagery, “raw image” carries a dual meaning: it refers both to the unprocessed image file in digital photography and to the “primal” visual form created through the intersection of digital and traditional media. By reorganizing natural objects, digital tools, and traditional painting methods, ZiPu constructs a unique visual archaeology that reveals how technology shapes our perception of the world.
This series investigates how natural objects are represented in digital media, and how technological frameworks reshape—and often redefine—our understanding of nature.
Horizon International Art Fair was not only an exhibition but also a practice that advanced the deep integration of art and everyday life. By using the hotel as an exhibition site, the fair created an intimate and authentic environment for artistic dialogue. The works presented were not merely displayed—they were heard. Visitors encountered art face-to-face in the most lived-in of settings, experiencing the flow of creative energy in a space that felt personal and real.
(Text by Zhenglin Zhang, Courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
Further read:
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Situated Stories International Juried Exhibition
Poster Credit: Asian Art Contemporary Situated Stories: International Juried Exhibition brings together artists from across the globe whose practices explore the power of narrative through diverse media—painting, photography, digital works, installation, and more. Each artist offers a distinct perspective shaped by personal history, cultural context, or lived experience. Their stories unfold through varied approaches, from reconstructing memory to examining identity, belonging, and transformation, revealing the many ways narratives can be formed, challenged, or reimagined in contemporary art.
Presented by Asian Art Contemporary, this exhibition highlights the depth and range of Asian artistic voices on the international stage. By centering storytelling as both subject and method, Situated Stories invites viewers to encounter connections across different cultures and mediums, while celebrating artists who expand how we understand and experience the world through their situated, resonant, and inventive narratives.
Title
Situated Stories
Date
December 1, 2025 – February 20, 2026
Selected Artists
Jieun Cheon, Matthew Chung, Nina Kuo, Vân Anh Lê, Ayana Hanbich Lee, Camille Li, Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Mizuki Nishiyama, Avani Patel, Mitchell Poon, Devishi Seth, Fengzee Yang
Juror
Carol Paik, Phil Zheng Cai
Exhibition Assistant
Katherine Li, Jianing Lu
Exhibitor
Asian Art Contemporary
Guest Juror
CAROL PAIK is a mixed-media artist based in New York, working primarily with repurposed materials. Her goal is to create art from the unappreciated, overlooked, landfill-destined stuff she finds around her, of which there is never a shortage. She is interested in the emotions we bring to the things we discard: nostalgia, guilt, desire, and loss, and her goal is to give these objects–and, by extension, ourselves—new possibilities.
Her work has been shown recently at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY; Galerie Étienne de Causans in Paris, France; Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Brooklyn, NY; Westbeth Gallery in NY, NY; Silvermine Gallery in New Canaan, CT; Yellow Studio Gallery in Cross River, NY; and the SVA Flatiron Gallery in NY, NY.
https://www.instagram.com/capaik670/
https://www.carolpaik.comPhil Zheng Cai (American, b. Shanghai) is a curator and writer based in New York. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Social Science, and received his MA from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. He has held posts at Mary Boone Gallery, Phillips Auctioneers, and is currently a partner at Eli Klein Gallery.
Phil Cai’s curated exhibitions have received critical acclaim. His curated exhibition “(In)directions: Queerness in Chinese Contemporary Photography” was reviewed by Hyperallergic, Musee Magazine, Asian American Arts Alliance AMP Magazine, and many others. His curated exhibition “Alienation?” was reviewed by the Brooklyn Rail. He has participated in panel discussions and talks at institutions such as the Asia Society Museum New York, the SCAD Museum of Art, Columbia University, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, among others. His independent curatorial initiative Open Kitchen focuses on systematic critique. Its most recent iteration “Open Kitchen – Fusion” was reviewed by IMPULSE Magazine.
Phil Zheng Cai’s writings are regularly published. His exhibition review “The Estate of Joshua Caleb Weibley at CHART Gallery asks if we still want to play” was recently published in WhiteHot Magazine. His interview with Bojan Stojcic “A Mirrored Interview” was published in IMPULSE Magazine. His exhibition reviews “A Proposal to Live with What Had Been There – Cynthia Gutiérrez at Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil”; “Enacting Disassociation – Jean-Luc Moulène Solo Exhibition at Miguel Abreu Gallery”; “Life as an Invitation – Yoan Capote Solo Exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery” and critical essay “Take a Step: Phil Zheng Cai on the Opening of M+ Museum” were featured in the Widewalls Magazine.
His translated book “The Story of Philosophy” was published by Shanghai Yuandong Press in 2020. His critical text “Everything can become an NFT, is it true?” was published by the New York Time T Magazine China. His essay “Nomad Photography” was published in the Parsons MFA Photo thesis catalog in 2024.
Phil Zheng Cai currently works and lives in New York, and can be reached via email at philzhengcai@gmail.com.
https://www.instagram.com/phil.z.cai/
https://philzhengcai.comSelected Artworks
Matthew Chung, Grappling Masculinity, 2023, Denim fabric, thread, 131 x 76 x 37 cm, Courtesy of the artist and Gallery 46 (First Place)
Mizuki Nishiyama, Kan’nabi (The Mountain Gods), 2023, Mixed media tapestry, 250 x 130 cm (Second Place)
Jieun Cheon, The Anti Fractal Map I, 2024, Pen drawing, installation, 57.5 x 57.5 x 6.5 in
Ayana Hanbich Lee, OOlda series 5, 2023, Acrylic and water color with collage elements on wood panel, 18 x 21 in
Mitchell Poon, Mothholes I, 2024, Silkscreen and mezzotint on BFK Rives, Image 12 x 12 in; Paper 14 x 14 in
Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, The Pocket, 2024, Dimensions variable (Second Place)
Fengzee Yang, Where Goes the Wheel of Fortune, 2023, Wood, stoneware (Second Place)
Fengzee Yang, A Chunk of Angel, 2024, Stoneware (Second Place)
Nina Kuo and Lorin Roser, Living Machina, 2024, Digital Image, 5 ft x 10 in, Courtesy the artists N. Kuo & L. Roser
Vân Anh Lê, ENDLESS SEA, 2024, Video with sound, 3 min 19 sec
Camille Li, Memory Mental Bullying, 2023, Wool yarn, E-Wire, nylon cable, 23.6 x 23.6 x 70.9 in
Avani Patel, Transition of Nature, 2024, Acrylic and paint marker on canvas, 36 x 72 in
Devishi Seth, Mukti – set me free, 2023, Bronze, 11 x 8 in
Selected Artists
Jieun Cheon https://www.uncanishedworkld.com
Matthew Chung https://chungmatthew.com
Nina Kuo https://www.videosoundarchive.com
Vân Anh Lê https://vananh.space
Ayana Hanbich Lee www.ayanalee.com
Camille Li https://lipeiyang2001.wixsite.com
Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann http://www.katherinemann.net
Mizuki Nishiyama https://www.mizukinishiyama.com
Avani Patel https://www.avanirpatel.com
Mitchell Poon https://www.mitchellpoon.com
Devishi Seth devishiseth.com
Fengzee Yang https://www.fengzeeyang.com
Artwork information and images courtesy of the artists.
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Rhythms of the Unseen International Juried Exhibition
Poster Credit: Asian Art Contemporary Rhythms of the Unseen explores the invisible forces that shape artistic expression—movements, emotions, and histories that pulse beneath the surface of each work. This exhibition brings together artists whose practices embrace the subtle yet dynamic interplay of form, gesture, and presence. Through their distinct approaches, they reveal a world beyond the visible, where intuition, memory, and cultural influences intertwine. The exhibition invites viewers to tune into these silent rhythms, discovering the unspoken dialogues and hidden energies that give each piece its depth and resonance.
Title
Rhythms of the Unseen
Date
June 23 – August 31, 2025
Selected Artists
Boya Liang, Carol Paik, Chak Man Wong, Kim Tateo, Lexiong Ying, Paul Mok, Rick Li, Rosie Ding, Ruoyu Gong, Sagar Kamath, Shohei Katayama
Juror
Peter Drake, Ami Park
Exhibition Assistant
Ziyi Huang
Visual Designer
Jianing Lu
Exhibitor
Asian Art Contemporary
Guest Juror
Peter Drake’s work is held in private, corporate and public collections including the Whitney Museum of Art, Phoenix Museum of Art, MOCA LA, Weatherspoon Art Museum, L.A. County Museum, Microsoft, Kirkland and Ellis and the Progressive Collection among others.
He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Award, a New York Foundation Fellowship and is a two-time recipient of the Two Trees Cultural Space Subsidy Program Grant.
His work has been written about in the New York Times, Art in America, Newsday, Huffington Post, Art & Antiques and numerous other publications.
Drake’s “Waiting for Toydot”, a MTA Arts & Design permanent public art commission for the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) Massapequa Station opened to the public in 2015. “Waiting for Toydot” features 18 art glass windows and 5 ceramic/glass mosaics installed throughout the train station and is seen by over 7,000 commuters daily.
He actively lectures, writes and was a curator for The Drawing Center, NYC and wrote for Flash Art Magazine. He served as a board member of the Artist Fellowship, Inc. and has been a jurist for the AXA Art Prize 2018-2025. Drake is the Provost at the New York Academy of Art, a progressive figurative and representational graduate art school in New York City.
Drake maintains an active studio practice in Dumbo, Brooklyn, has had 28 solo exhibitions and is represented by Linda Warren Projects, Chicago / Los Angeles, Healy Contemporaneo, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas.
Peter Drake was born and raised in Garden City, Long Island and lives in Manhattan.
https://www.instagram.com/peterdrakeart
https://nyaa.edu/graduate-program/faculty/peter-drakeAmi Park, originally from South Korea, currently resides and works in Queens, NY. Her artistic practice centers on textiles, exploring the connections between the human mind, emotions, and objects. She focuses on themes of self-awareness, identity, and perception. Influenced by her immigrant experience, spirituality, and scientific theories, her interdisciplinary approach challenges societal norms and pressures across different cultures. Through her work, she invites viewers to reconsider familiar concepts from new and layered perspectives, debunking subconscious biases.Park has exhibited her work at the Bronx Museum, MoMA PopRally, KuBe Art Center, Pen + Brush, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, theBLANC, Asian American Arts Alliance, Chashama, New York Live Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, SVA Flatiron Gallery, and RIVAA Gallery, among others. She has been awarded the AIM Fellowship by the Bronx Museum and participated in the Immigrant Artist Program facilitated by the NYFA. Park has received grants from Cerf Plus, The Puffin Foundation, NYFA, and CRNY, and has completed residencies at LMCC Arts Center, Uncool Artist, and the School of Visual Arts. Park holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design. Her upcoming exhibitions include a solo show at The Garage Art Center, as well as group shows at the Steinberg Museum of Art in 2025, and a two-person exhibition at the Nars Foundation in 2026.
http://www.ami-park.com/
https://www.instagram.com/iam__ami_/Selected Artworks
First Place
Rick Li, My life, 2025, Airbrush on wood board, 8 x 8 in
Second Place
Carol Paik, WideningGyre, 2021, Repurposed textiles, 70 x 115 in
Third Place
Boya Liang, Unfolding Cosmos in Self, 2024, Cyanotype on Xuan paper, 7.3 m x 0.68 m, 8.5 m x 0.68 m, 8.5 m x 0.68 m
Ruoyu Gong, Oh You Poor Thing!, Monotype, acrylic collage, and oil pastel on paper mounted on board, 10 x 9.5 in
Sagar Kamath, Birth of Night, embraced by Blue and Red, Acrylic, AB crystals, hemp twine, grommeted hemp canvas, 80 x 80 in
Paul Mok, The Void We Left Behind, 2024, Ink on paper, 50 x 77 in
Chak Man Wong, Untitled (earth), 2025, Medium Grogged Black (ceramic), log, 25 x 25 x 55 cm
Shohei Katayama, Hollow Pressure, 2025, Copper, iron, oil, water, electromagnet, PLA, 5.5 FT
Lexiong Ying, How do you verify that you are you_1, 2023, 3D printing installations & sculptures, Approx. 10 cm x 15 cm, Six pieces
Ruoyu Gong, Spectators,2024, Monotype, acrylic collage, and oil pastel on paper mounted on board, 10.5 x 10.75 in
Sagar Kamath, A landscape in question :: how to hold? when to dance? &where do i go after collapse?, 2022, Acrylic, mod podge, chalk pastel, ink on grommeted canvas, 60 x 70 in
Rosie Ding, Fingers (Bourgeois), 2025, Glazed ceramic stoneware, Dimension varies
Kim Tateo, Winds of change, 2025, Mixedmedia, 82 x 84 in
Selected Artists
Boya Liang https://www.boyaliang.com/
Carol Paik https://carolpaik.com
Chak Man Wong https://blancccm21.wixsite.com/blancccm
Kim Tateo https://www.lookalittlecloser.com/
Lexiong Ying https://www.instagram.com/lexi.visual?igsh
Paul Mok www.paul-mok.com
Rick Li rli467.wixsite.com/rickli
Rosie Ding www.rosieding.com
Ruoyu Gong https://www.ruoyugong.com/
Sagar Kamath www.sagarkamath.com
Shohei Katayama http://shoheikatayama.com
Artwork information and images courtesy of the artists.
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Asian Art Contemporary Presents City Gazes: Artistic Perspectives on Place
Credit: Asian Art Contemporary Cities are more than just physical spaces—they are lived experiences, cultural intersections, and reflections of identity. City Gazes: Artistic Perspectives on Place brings together Asian artists and diaspora voices to explore the ways they perceive, navigate, and interpret the urban and regional landscapes they inhabit. Through diverse artistic practices, the exhibition reveals personal connections to place, offering insights into the cultural, historical, and emotional imprints left by cities on those who call them home.
Presented by Asian Art Contemporary, in collaboration with Kyungsung University and A Space Gallery, this exhibition highlights a range of artistic perspectives that capture the nuances of urban life, from fleeting moments of everyday existence to deeper reflections on memory, displacement, and belonging. Whether through painting, photography, installation, or mixed media, the featured works invite viewers to engage with the ever-evolving relationship between people and place.
Curated by Webson Ji and Ju Hyun Kim, City Gazes will take place across two locations—A Space Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, and Kyungsung University Art Exhibition Hall in Busan, South Korea. The exhibition will run from June 8–14 in New York and June 18–22 in Busan, creating a cross-cultural dialogue that transcends geographical boundaries.
Through the lens of these Asian diaspora artists, we are offered a multiplicity of perspectives—some nostalgic, some critical, some celebratory—all contributing to a collective portrait of cities as more than just landscapes, but as sites of history, transformation, and creative expression.
Presenter
Asian Art Contemporary
Kyungsung University, School of Glocal Cultural Studies
A Space GalleryArtist
Abhishek Tuiwala, Ami Park, Chengtao Yi, Doi Kim, Hee Jeong An, Hyunju Lee, Jinwoo Moon, Jun Ho Kim, Minjung Kim, Mok Ji Soo, Paul Mok, PTPC, Sao Tanaka, Xianglong Li, Xiangni Song
Curator
Webson Ji
Ju Hyun KimDate
June 8 – 14, New York, USA
June 18 – 22, Busan, South KoreaVenue
June 8 – 14, A Space Gallery, 13 Grattan St, #402, Brooklyn, NY, USA
June 18 – 22, Kyungsung University Art Exhibition Hall, Busan, South KoreaExhibition assistant
Ziyi Huang
Visual designer
Rachel Zhu
Contact
Further read
https://asianartcontemporary.com/2025/08/19/city-gazes-dialogues-across-new-york-and-busan/
(Text and images courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
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Mirrors and Masks International Juried Exhibition
Poster credit: Asian Art Contemporary Asian Art Contemporary presents Mirrors and Masks, an international online juried exhibition. This exhibition examines the contrast between how we present ourselves and how we perceive ourselves, exploring identity as both a performance and a personal reflection. Artist Jiannan Wu was invited to be the juror of the show.
Through diverse artistic expressions, the featured artists—InKyoung Chun, Ruoyu Gong, Ling Gui, Jiatong Han, Yichen Ji, Shohei Katayama, Yiting Liu, Yoon Nam, Reconnected Outsiders, Hyunjin Park, Lu W, Kwong Kwok Wai, Hua Wang, and Voyo Woo—investigate the tension between public and private identities, revealing the personas we construct to navigate societal expectations.
Bringing together perspectives from Mainland China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and the U.S., Mirrors and Masks invites viewers to consider the literal and metaphorical masks we wear, questioning the fluid and shifting nature of identity.
Title
Mirrors and Masks
Date
February 10 – May 4, 2025
Selected Artists
In Kyoung Chun, Ruoyu Gong, Ling Gui, Jiatong Han, Yichen Ji, Shohei Katayama, Yiting Liu, Yoon Nam, Reconnected Outsiders, Hyunjin Park, Lu W, Kwong Kwok Wai, Hua Wang, Voyo Woo
Juror
Jiannan Wu
Exhibition Assistant
Angela Wong
Exhibitor
Asian Art Contemporary
Guest Juror
Jiannan Wu (b.1990) is a China-born, New York-based artist specializing in sculpture. He received his BFA Degree in Sculpture from China Academy of Art and his MFA Degree in Sculpture from New York Academy of Art. He is an adjunct faculty of New York Academy of Art, an Elected Member of the American National Sculpture Society, American Medallic Sculpture Association, and World Economic Forum Global Shaper of Dalian Hub. Through formats of sculpture and wall-mounted relief, he presents the theme of contemporary urban life and social events such as politics and sports with a focus on realism and a playful, satirical, and multifaceted narrative, that can make us realize the often absurd nature of the environment we’re currently living in.
Jiannan Wu is the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant, winner of the 2017 & 2022 Dexter Jones Award presented by the American National Sculpture Society, and winner of the Compleat Sculptor Award, among other awards. He was selected as “2022 Top 10 Outstanding Chinese American Youth” and “2020 AACYF Top 30 Under 30” presented by All America Chinese Youth Federation. His work is recognized as The Best Original Sculpture in 2019 by Sculpture Magazine of China. In addition, he was selected for the Terra Foundation Residency in Giverny, France (2015), ABC Stone Carrara Merit Award Residency in Italy (2016), West Nottingham Academy Eric Fischl ‘66 Artist-in-Residence (2019), The Swatch Art Peace Hotel artist residency in Shanghai (2023), and Tombolo Artist Residency in NYC (2023). His works have been displayed at numerous exhibitions at renowned venues such as the Venice Biennale in Italy, Sotheby’s, Art Miami, Southampton Arts Center in America, Bonner Kunstverein in Germany, Zhejiang Art Museum, ART021 in China, Gallery Poulsen in Denmark, among others. His works and achievements have been published in The New York Times, The China Press, Metal Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Hi-Fructose Magazine, Collections Magazine, and T(here) Magazine.
https://www.jiannanwu.com
https://www.instagram.com/jiannan_wu/Selected Artworks
First Place
Ruoyu Gong, Regression — Babes’ Battle, 2024, Oil, oil pastel, and acrylic collage on canvas, 61 x 48.75 in
Second Place
InKyoung Chun, House with Birthday Candle, 2024, Oil on canvas & plexiglass, 18 x 18 x 3 in
Third Place
Yiting Liu, Monotype2, 2023, Oil ink on paper, 8 x10 in
InKyoung Chun, House with Birthday Candle, 2024, Oil on canvas & plexiglass, 8 x 18 x 3 in
Ruoyu Gong, Regression — Babes’ Battle, 2024, Oil, oil pastel, and acrylic collage on canvas, 61 x 48.75 in
Jiatong Han, The Realm of Formlessness, 2024, Video, 1920 x 1080
Shohei Katayama, Vestiges, 2024, PLA and ashes, 14 x 9 x 6 in
Yiting Liu, Monotype 1, 2023, Oil ink on paper, 23 x 17 in
Yoon Nam, No Way Out from Happiness, 2024, Oil, ink, oil pastel on canvas, 24 x 20 in
Reconnected Outsiders, A Book of Diaspora – Disquiet, 2024, Video, 1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9)
Hua Wang, Diary: Staring at My Bedroom Ceiling, 2022, Oil on canvas, 66.14 × 66.14 in
Voyo Woo, Every Encounter is a 0.001% Chance, 2024, Multidisciplinary fine art print, 16 x 20 in
Ruoyu Gong, Mr. Donkey’s Daydream, 2024, Oil, oil pastel, and acrylic collage on board, 11.75 x 15 in
Ling Gui, Shadow and Reflection, 2024, Water-based clay, fired and glazed, H 6.5 x W 14 x D 2.5 in
Jack Ji, Virgin Mary, 2022, Mixed media, 17 x 17 x 17 in
Yiting Liu, Charcoal 1, 2023, Charcoal, ink on paper, 22 x 30 in
Yiting Liu, Monotype 2, 2023, Oil ink on paper, 8 x 10 in
Yoon Nam, By the Time You See Her Butt You Are Too Late, 2024, Pencil, oil, oil pastel on canvas, 23 x 31 in
Hyunjin Park, Neither Lion, Dog, nor Human, 2022, Performance, video, 7’8”
Kwong Kwok Wai, Atlas the Other Shore, 2024, Oil and Chinese pigments on raw linen, 20.08 × 51.97 in
Hua Wang, Diary: Remembered Pieces II, 2023, Oil on panel, 31.5 × 39.4 in
Voyo Woo, A Typical Family Portrait, 2024, Multidisciplinary fine art print, 16 x 20 in
Voyo Woo, Mother and Daughter Portrait, 2024, Multidisciplinary fine art print, 16 x 20 in
Selected Artists
In Kyoung Chun https://inkyoungchoichun.com/
Ruoyu Gong https://www.ruoyugong.com/
Ling Gui https://www.glinspace.com/
Jiatong Han https://www.instagram.com/jiatong_haaan/
Yichen Ji https://www.instagram.com/jackji14/
Shohei Katayama https://www.shoheikatayama.com
Yiting Liu https://www.ylting.com/
Yoon Nam https://yoonnam.com/
Reconnected Outsiders https://reconnected-outsiders.cargo.site/
Hyunjin Park https://hyunjin-park.com
Kwong Kwok Wai https://walterkwonghk.wordpress.com/
Hua Wang https://www.huawangstudio.com
Voyo Woo https://www.voyowoo.com
Artwork information and images courtesy of the artists.
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Distant Views and New Narratives: Asian Artists Illuminate Art on Paper 2024
From September 5 to 8, 2024, the Art on Paper Fair at Manhattan’s Pier 36 once again became a hub of creative energy, attracting art enthusiasts and collectors from around the world. Held during New York’s Armory Art Week, this annual fair is celebrated for its focus on contemporary works that explore the boundless potential of paper as a medium. With over 100 galleries participating, the fair presents a vibrant and cutting-edge snapshot of today’s art scene.
Poster credit: Asian Art Contemporary This year, the Metropolitan Art Atelier, in collaboration with Asian Art Contemporary, presented the thoughtfully curated exhibition Distant View of the Blue by New York-based curator Webson Ji. Featuring works by 11 talented artists—including Yi Wu, Sha Lin, Zhen Guo, In Kyoung Chun, Yukiko Nakashima, Guoqiang Liang, Min Park, Isaiah Rivera, Weiling Pan, Kang Xu, and Xue’er Gao—the exhibition underscored a commitment to amplifying the voices of Asian artists within the international art community.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier The exhibition’s conceptual framework was inspired by the experience of looking across the New York harbor, past the city’s concrete and steel skyline, toward a faint blue on the horizon. The ambiguity of this distant view—whether it represents mountains, oceans, or memories of a faraway home—serves as a poignant metaphor for the artists’ explorations of identity, displacement, and self-recognition within the Asian diaspora.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Yi Wu, born in 1934 into a distinguished overseas Chinese family, stands out among the featured artists. As a respected figure in the Nanjing Painting Academy and a trailblazer in Chinese painting, Wu’s work embodies a profound blend of tradition and innovation. His piece Wonder of Kunlun marries decades of ink painting mastery with his groundbreaking concept of “image thinking,” offering viewers a glimpse into his artistic evolution. Meanwhile, Zhen Guo, a pioneering female artist who moved to New York in 1988, showcased her work that reflects her longstanding contributions to the contemporary art landscape, blending personal narrative with broader cultural dialogues.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Sha Lin, an artist whose journey spans from Taiwan to Europe and finally to New York, drew from the philosophy of the I Ching and the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine in his mixed-media masterpiece The Harmony of Yin and Yang. His works resonate with a contemplative depth, inviting viewers to reflect on harmony and duality. Yukiko Nakashima, a Japanese artist born in Hiroshima and raised in the United States, captures suppressed emotions, anxiety, and trauma through her Phonetic Marks series—an exploration of the unspoken and the unspeakable, conveyed through abstract calligraphic forms.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier In Kyoung Chun, a Korean artist now based in Atlanta, explores themes of isolation and resilience in her works House with Two Drawings and House with a Table and a Clock. Her art transforms everyday objects into symbols of sanctuary, encapsulating her immigrant experience. Guoqiang Liang’s mastery of traditional Chinese techniques is matched by his bold reinterpretation of contemporary ink art, blending age-old craftsmanship with modern sensibilities.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Emerging voices also found their platform in this exhibition, with artists like Weiling Pan, Min Park, and Xue’er Gao adding fresh perspectives. Pan, the youngest artist in the exhibition, captured the attention of many with her miniature dioramas that blend illustration and installation, creating intimate spaces that invite viewers to pause and reflect on their own identities.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Reflecting on the exhibition’s success, curator Webson Ji remarked, “Metropolitan Art Atelier’s booth not only achieved a high level of academic integrity but also addressed the commercial aspects essential to promoting these artists. As one of the few organizations actively supporting Asian artists, they have created a bridge for Western audiences to engage with the richness of Asian art.”
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Metropolitan Art Atelier co-founders Qingyang Xu and Ming Li (Raymond) expressed their concerns about being the only booth truly representing Asian art at Art on Paper 2024, an international fair featuring over 100 galleries and attracting tens of thousands of visitors and collectors each day. This highlights the need for a broader conversation about increasing diversity in artistic representation. Looking ahead, they hope to see a more substantial presence of Asian art in future exhibitions and anticipate the rise of Asian collectors as an increasingly influential force on the global art stage.
From left to right: Webson Ji, Ming Li (Raymond), Qingyang Xu, Erik Deinstadt, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier The partnership between Metropolitan Art Atelier and Asian Art Contemporary in this year’s Art on Paper Fair marks a significant step toward elevating Asian art on the international stage. The exhibition’s impact, both in terms of sales and critical reception, reflects a growing appetite for Asian voices in contemporary art. As the global art community continues to evolve, the challenge—and opportunity—lies in ensuring that these voices are not just heard but celebrated for their depth, complexity, and unique perspectives.
(Text and images courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier and Asian Art Contemporary)
