Tonight at SAAM - Paper, Ink, Music

Trees, 2006, Sio Ieng Ng, exhibiting at Seattle Asian Art Museum

Tonight, Thursday, August 9th @ the Seattle Asian Art Museum

Two intriguing new shows open today at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The first, “Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art,” is a traveling exhibition organized by the China Institute under the guidance of Wu Hung, professor of Chinese art at the University of Chicago. Books themselves and the concept of books, writing, and literature have a rich, complex role in Chinese history. 31 works by 23 artists explore the impact and notion of the book in the lives and artwork of contemporary Chinese artists.

In the second exhibit “Ink in Motion: The Art of Sio Ieng Ng,” ink no longer remains a passive medium for the artist and becomes a source of visual beauty and contemplation in Sio Ieng Ng's video works.

This evening, the Seattle Asian Art Museum presents two special programs from the SAM “Creatively Speaking” series in conjunction with these new shows.

From 7 – 8 pm, a lecture on “The Cultural Revolution and Reflections on Contemporary Chinese Art” will be presented by Professor Gu Xiong. From 8 – 8:15 pm, in celebration of her installation Ink in Motion, artist Sio Ieng Ng will present “The Music of Ink,” a collaboration with vocalist Caterina De Re and guitarist Dennis Rea to create an original work of visual and aural art.

For those of you with an interest in China, contemporary Chinese art and cultural exchange in general, be sure not to miss these currently running shows.

“A Common Language: Seattle/Shenzhen” @ Gallery 110

The second half of a U.S./China Exhibition and Cultural Exchange, this wonderful exhibit presents work by print artists from Guangdong Province China.

“Lost in Translation” works by Diem Chau @ Gallery4Culture

(from Gallery4Culture) “Growing up Chinese in Vietnam and then moving to the U.S., Chau grew up not knowing where she belonged. She always felt in between cultures – in a "mish-mash." Identity is an important part of her work. Language is an outward sign of belonging and the language of the home may not be the language of the culture. Chau’s work is filtered through three languages. It revels in the egalitarian, the everyday moments and everyday things.”

Chau's unique installation of stitched images on fabric-covered dishware is truly worth a visit.