LI museums celebrate Asian art and culture
Jericho artist Joan Kim Suzuki presents recent paintings, drawings and fiber artworks in "The Gift of Remembrance: Modern Korean Folk Art" at Westbury Arts. Credit: Judah Suzuki
Asian culture may go back millenniums, but it's still being crafted today. Customs, beliefs and histories expressed through art are a great way to experience some of the flavors of Asia and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Two extraordinary exhibitions at Westbury Arts and Stony Brook University's Charles B. Wang Center reflect Asian visions and voices young and old.
"Love is Patient" by Joan Kim Suzuki, is included in her solo exhibition at Westbury Arts. Credit: Joan Kim Suzuki
BLENDING TRADITION AND TODAY
Jericho artist Joan Kim Suzuki's traditional artworks are on view in the Westbury Arts exhibit "The Gift of Remembrance: Modern Korean Folk Art." Though they seem timeless, they're all quite recent. "I picked up a Crayola from the floor among the Legos," she recalled, "and it started from there."
Kim Suzuki, 33, began creating art with her children three years ago to cope with school closures and anti-Asian sentiments in the early days of the pandemic. She also wanted her young son and daughter to grow up proud of their Korean and Japanese heritage.
WHAT "The Gift of Remembrance: Modern Korean Folk Art"
WHEN | WHERE Through May 27, 12-4 p.m. Thursday, 2-6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday, Westbury Arts, 255 Schenck Ave., Westbury
INFO Free; 516-400-2787, westburyarts.org
WHAT "The Splendor of Bamboo: Japanese Contemporary Baskets"
WHEN | WHERE Through May 31, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Charles B. Wang Center, Skylight Gallery and Zodiac Gallery, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook
INFO Free; 631-632-4400, thewangcenter.org
In her paintings, drawings and fiber works, look for traditional imagery and motifs updated for today's world. Think hanboks (traditional Korean robes) instead of hoodies. According to Kim Suzuki, the mashup of cultures is part of the meaning. "I was born and raised here," she said, "and I was just so confused when I was growing up."
Back then, fitting in felt so important, she said. Now she wants to celebrate different beauties and experiences. "I started painting all these Asian artworks and Asian women, and my daughter would come by and say 'Mom, she's beautiful.' And I thought 'That's why I'm doing this, so she can see through her eyes how beautiful an Asian woman can be.'"
Stan Turetsky, Westbury Arts' chairman of programming and planning noted, "Joan has helped create a bridge to both the Japanese and Korean communities that's very important to us." One aspect of the exhibit that’s resonated with visitors is a series illustrating the life of Kim Suzuki's 102-year-old grandmother, and the traumas of wars, loss and immigration. "Visually it's so striking," said executive director Jen Yatco, "but it's also a very educational, moving and culturally enriching exhibit."
For Kim Suzuki, what started as a lesson with her children is now her path. "At one point I realized I'm an artist, and this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life," she said. "I thought I would never find my passion, but I did."
Katsushiro Soho, a Japanese artist designated as a "Living National Treasure," created "Sunlight Streaming Through Trees" a Shinodake bamboo basket, on view at Stony Brook University's Charles B. Wang Center.
BAMBOO IN ALL ITS SPLENDOR
National treasures — living national treasures, that is — can be seen at the Skylight and Zodiac galleries of the Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University. Fujinuma Noboru and Katsushiro Soho, two bamboo artists who've been designated Living National Treasures by the government of Japan, are among the 22 artists presenting 27 works in "The Splendor of Bamboo: Japanese Contemporary Baskets."
The forms of the baskets swoop and curve. They can be smooth as glass, light as gossamer or sturdy as a tree trunk. They defy gravity and confound the eye. Diminutive or grand, they're all exquisite. Each is made by a master of the form, and they were brought to the Wang Center by Jinyoung A. Jin, director of cultural programs, to engage and delight the community. Following a popular 2017 exhibition of bamboo arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jin worked with TAI Modern, America's preeminent bamboo arts gallery, to arrange loans. She hopes Long Islanders will come in, enjoy the exhibition and get to know the galleries as a cultural resource.
Forget what you know about the kind of baskets that hold mail or keys. These spectacularly inventive geometric forms are designed to hold ikebana flower arrangements, another traditional Japanese art. Spread across two galleries are displays both with and without flowers, as well as information on their creators, all woven together by bamboo.
The baskets speak to tradition, but also to sustainability and interconnectedness, Jin explained. No fasteners like glue or nails are used. It's just the bamboo and the skill of the weaver on display. And even though we live in a world with artificial intelligence and 3-D printing, she expects these artists and these works will last for many generations.
"Bamboo it is ubiquitous in Japan, it's a prominent symbol in Japanese culture, embedded in almost every aspect of Japanese art and life," said Jin. "Bamboo stands for purity and innocence and strength and flexibility. It comes from nature but with the human touch, it changes the whole aesthetic," she noted, adding, "Visitors have been amazed by how bamboo can turn into objects like this."
