Did You Know? Six Signature Members Are Featured in the Hollis Taggart Gallery’s Exhibition,

Asian-American Abstraction: Historic to Contemporary.

Signature Members, Yuho Chang, Hayoon Jay Lee, Ivy Wu, Gabrielle Yi-Wen Mar, Emi Sisk, and Jennifer Jean Okumura Are Among Those Featured in the Hollis Taggart Gallery’s Exhibition through September 7, 2024.

Jennifer Jean Okumura. White Noise II, Oil on canvas 48 x 48 in

This exhibition traces how the artistic traditions of East Asia have made an indelible mark on American art history. Ranging from 1950s Abstract Expressionist works to recent works by NAWA contemporary artists including Hayoon Jay Lee, Gabrielle Yi-Wen Mar, Jennifer Jean Okumura, Emi Sisk, Ivy Wu, the exhibition presents an intergenerational dialogue about the lasting international influence of East Asian artistic techniques and philosophies.

Emi Sisk. Blue Tranquility, 2023 Watercolor on paper
12 x 9 in.

Asian-American Abstraction: Historic to Contemporary seeks to continue a curatorial project initiated by curator and NAWA Executive Board Member, Jeffrey Wechsler at the Zimmerli Art Museum in 1997 with the acclaimed exhibition Asian Traditions/Modern Expressions: Asian-American Artists and Abstraction, 1945-1970. The exhibition explored the myriad ways American artists of Asian heritage incorporated traditional East Asian techniques and philosophies into their art. In Asian- American Abstraction at Hollis Taggart, Wechsler and the gallery expanded the thesis of the Zimmerli exhibition not only by including the cutting-edge of contemporary art, but also by extending the historic component to include American Postwar artists whose oeuvres were influenced by an appreciation of East Asian traditions.

Gabrielle Yi-Wen Mar. Quantum Hyper Jump, 2023 Acrylic on canvas

Expanding the original curatorial premise across time and geography, Asian-American Abstraction showcases the creative power of cross-cultural and intergenerational exchange. “At the same time, as our contemporary division has expanded, we have been observing the tremendous contributions of Asian American artists to the contemporary art scene. It is through these parallel developments – as well as through conversations with our colleagues Jeffery Wechsler and Emily Chun – that the idea for this exhibition was born”, said Hollis Taggart. Both Wechsler and Chun have been instrumental in shaping this exhibition, and we are very grateful to them for providing invaluable curatorial input and sharing their scholarship through their respective catalogue essays.”

Ivy Wu. I’m Sleepy When Awake but Don’t Wake Me Up 2, 2023 Acrylic on canvas
24 x 20 in.

Contemporary highlights in the exhibition include works by several Asian-American abstractionists who are interested in traditional East Asian writing and incorporating the calligraphic gesture in their work, at times imaginatively abstracting it. A highlight is the work of Hayoon Jay Lee, who Hollis Taggart started representing last year and whose primary material is rice, which she meticulously arranges grain by grain in a meditative process.