Theme Magazine Launch for Issue 14

Theme Magazine's Launch Party for their 14th Issue: Travel was held in Soho on Tuesday night. Thank you to this magazine for always keeping refreshing content, showcasing fresh Asian/Asian American talent, and functioning as a unique community of inspiring creative types. Met some great designers, musicians, artists, and filmmakers here.

"New wave" in Chelsea

Attended a fabulous, jam-packed concert of fusion traditional Korean music Haegum Plus at the recently opened Gana Art gallery in Chelsea this past weekend. Set up in the main gallery, this concert was set up amidst the amazing tire sculptures by artist Yong Ho Ji. The group that played there incorporated traditional Korean instruments with western guitar, drums, and bass. Hearing the traditional stringed instrument haegum exchange solos with the jazzy lines of the guitarist was so exciting. The audience seemed to enjoy the back and forth of the sounds of unfamiliarity and familiarity.

The concert was a marker of a true "new wave" of East Asian galleries bringing in a change of scene in Chelsea.

Korean galleries Gana Art, Arario, set up on 25th street earlier in the fall. Arario's debut show with Hyungkoo Lee, an artist who represented Korea in the last Venice Biennale, garnered much interest and acclaim from New York art goers. Chinese galleries such as China Square, 798 Avant Gallery have been relentlessly presenting fine shows with contemporary Chinese artists for a growing market.

As well as giving their artists New York exposure, these galleries are already forming an important place for the Asian and Asian-American art community in New York to convene at events such as this concert, or openings. While the creative work of artists is the center of the art world, this kind of gallery venue is just as crucial to forming networks of support, presentation, and exchange. The sense of excitement and dialogue at the concert was unmistakable. It's going to be exciting to see what these new venues do to change the landscape of the New York art scene.

Here's Haegum Plus' Myspace!

Paul Chan

Was fortunate enough to go see Paul Chan lecture at the New School at their Public Art Fund Talks. Paul Chan, a young and successful artist, now has a show up at the New Museum and recently staged Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot in a recuperating New Orleans. He is known for being extremely vocal about his political stance, while producing art that is not merely political but also existential. Amidst much decadence and complicit stances in contemporary art, Paul Chan stands out as an artist with an extremely social and political agenda.

His lecture was, to say the least, powerful. As any of us reading any kind of news can attest to, the world is experiencing a serious economic recession. Characteristic of his practice of mirroring the contemporary, Paul read an essay he had written titled "The Spirit of Recession". Carefully written and deliberately performed, the essay was pointed and passionate.

He pointed out a few very interesting and important truths of our society. He noted that our political leaders are currently making decisions upon the "spirit of self-preservation", and that this mad dash of our leaders for self-preservation and self-progress at all costs is being payed for by all the rest of us. In the form of a recession. He noted that often "self-preservation" is masked under the word "progress" and warned against the idea of progress as a religion.

In the face of our leaders, what can the rest of us possibly do? What can I contribute? What can I change? He seemed to be battling with this question as an artist. He voiced his own doubts about the extent of the difference he could make in changing the ways of our current leaders. However, his conviction in "the creative act" was the most shaking and stuck with me for a long time. The creative act, he said, is to say what matters when something deathly is stuck in one's throat and stick by it, at all costs.

That is exactly what he did throughout his lecture. That being said, you should definitely check out his show at the New Museum and see what exactly he is saying when he has something deathly stuck in his throat. Click here for his website.

(Image, Paul Chan Lights)