Pacific Asia Museum: Opening Reception

Calligraffiti: 

Writing in Contemporary Chinese and Latino Art

Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California 

September 17, 2009 - January 17, 2010

To listen my excerpts of the audio tour at the museum, call (626) 628-9690 and enter item #611 and #612.

I am so honored to be included in this show. Among the artists featured are my long-time heroes Xu Bing and Wenda Gu. Also featured are Zhang Dali, Chongbin Zheng, Yu-Kun Yang, Chaz Bojorquez, Gronk, John Valadez, and Leo Limon.

My work included a series of parasols created in collaboration San Francisco's Apex and and a painting--"One World, One Dream" that I created as part of a live performance with Desi W.O.M.E. at the Oakland Art Gallery.

Unfortunately, because many of the works belong to private collections, the Museum did not allow photography in two of the galleries. I was able to take pictures only in the gallery with the museum murals and my own pieces.  

Video of Xu Bing and LA graffiti artists creating three murals commissioned by the museum in 2003. 

Site specific mural by Gronk.Views of the one of the three galleries.

PARAPHRASE: Arario Gallery Opening Reception

This is a wonderful show curated by Nicole Caruth, featuring enormous installations by Cui Fai of her thorn and twig calligraphic pieces, new tape pieces by Aakash Nihalani and an expansion of works from my Flash Series, including a large piece on the wall of the gallery and new 6' layered scrolls.

Photos  from the opening and installation--  Paraphrase, is on view at Arario New York through July 24.  (West 25th St. @ 10th Ave.)  More pics on Flickr...

The parasols I created with Coby Kennedy are hanging by the entrance as well!

See the Arario Gallery Blog.

Nyima: Art as Alchemy

In a project inspired by the work of El Anatsui, I worked with local youth, residents, and the staff at Deer Park to create a small piece for the Institute's dining area. We sifted through the collected trash at Deer Park for raw materials that could be transformed--foil and plastic wrappers from chips, chocolate, tea and coffee. 

 

Nyima means "sun" in Tibetan.

Deer Park, Bir

District Kangra

tea country.

from the roof 

panoramic valley views at sunset

here one gets just a tease of the Himalayas

we got fresh snow in the mountains yesterday

its May.

but the rivers are dry

choked by the heat

and the heap of plastic bottles

biscuit wrappers 

tires

some afternoons

thunder storms blow through

intense, urgent in their will 

to unravel

the most stoic flagpoles

as i walk to the town from deer park

chirping birds give way 

to barking dogs

to honking taxis

to trucks rumbling thru

with daily loads of rocks

from the river

it is saka dawa

one of the holiest months in the buddhist calendar

and the whirring of large prayer wheels

chants and the tinkling of tea cups

permeates the tibetan settlement community center.

it is believed this month

the merit of good deeds are

multiplied many thousands of times.

(Pictured: Deer Park temple, a detail from one of the murals at Dzongsar Institute in Chauntra, Geeti and I for a walk down to the river, and the mani stones at Chokling Monastery.)

Delhi

the wind. it hit me like the voice of a familiar friend,

sending me back

to joys 

long lost 

past the memory of chili.

this place is music in the form

of spice

infiltrating the air

almost indistinguishable from dust

simmering in the sunlight

songs and thuds from taut

skins 

laughter in the morning

bare feet 

clapping

this place is music in the form

of prayer

praising the dawn

almost indistinguishable from birdsong

calling to life the wake

of children

sailing past fragrances

sweetly drifting

yellow boughs

Exploring the source anew... the beginning of a new series

its so yummy to find time to write again. i'm minimally workshopping the poems. i guess for me they've been a part of excavating my creative process...this one is fresh and probably not done. i think i would like it to be the narrative for an animation piece.

("dilaw" is yellow in tagalog and "puti" is white)


dilaw. puti. dilaw. puti.

i cough color
staining baby cheeks
wrists, fingernails
feet

dilaw. puti. dilaw. puti.

hands slapping
morena, mistiza,
dilaw. puti. dilaw. puti.
i raise a hand
in protest
my soul is not reflected
in my color --it lays
between sinews
saving voices
laying dormant
dilaw. puti. dilaw. puti.
until such a time
as spirit erupts
irrepressible and pure
like rage in a forest.

image: From the series "Saving Face" by M. Mangahas, 2006, Philippine cocoa, paraffin, chili 

Silhouette of Songs Reception + Performance

Paintings and animation by Susan Chen and Minette Mangahas. Life music performed--improvised--by FIELD: Walter Kitundu (invented instruments) and Robin Sukhadia (tabla). This was a wonderful event at the Sangati Center in San Francisco that was so well attended, folks were turned away (I'm so sorry to those who could get in!) and there were people sitting underneath and behind the screen!

Paintings, stills and photographs:

1. "Flash" by MM.

2. "Red Tree" by SC.

3. After the performance (l-r) Minette, Susan, Robin, and Walter.

4. Robin and Walter watching a preview before the show.

5. Minette w/ mom Miranda Lee.

6. "Country animation still" by MM.

7. Reception

8. Patricia Wakida and Wallis Harvey

9. "The Green Man" by MM.

10."Chartreuse" by SC.

11. Picture of screen at the Sangati reception.

12. Folks at the reception: Susan, Minette, Camille Hoffman, Jefferson Pinder, Chris, and Janif