Title: Colors of Memory: Celebrating the Chinese New Year
As an immigrant in San Francisco, the arrival of Chinese New Year always stirs a complex blend of emotions. While my hometown feels distant, the vibrant celebrations here rekindle cherished memories and a profound sense of belonging. Each lion dance, lantern, and family gathering brings the essence of home closer, weaving together nostalgia and hope. This time of year transforms the city, reminding us of our roots while forging new connections. In the heart of this multicultural metropolis, the celebration of festivities becomes a bridge between past and present, honoring our traditions and celebrating the new chapters of our lives.
Home transcends geography; it becomes a feeling, a connection, and a source of strength. In every vibrant red lantern, every soft blue shadow, and every glowing orange light, we carry a piece of home with us, making each place we go feel like a continuation of our journey.
Artist Biography
Ni is an award winning oil painter based in the San Francisco Bay area. She grew up in a small town in southern China, studied law at Beijing University and pursued graduate studies in the U.S. and Canada. A career change happened when Ni fell in love with painting. She honed her passion for the media by attending classes at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and taking workshops with master painters, ultimately earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. Ni’s academic and creative pursuits from law to art and personal transition from China to North America have informed her practice as an artist.
Ni is a signature member of Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society, and an artist member of the California Art Club. Recent recognitions include Best of Show Award in the Women Artists of the West 54th National Exhibition in 2024, Best Impressionism Award in the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Best of America Exhibition in 2023, First Place Award in the Landscape category of the 37th Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition in 2020, and the Outstanding Composition and Technique Award of Excellence at the 2017 OPA annual National Exhibition. She is represented by Reinert Fine Art in Charleston, SC.
Opening at IAMA in the Lightspace Gallery on December 3rd, 2024, on display through January 3rd
.December 7th 2024 – January 3rd, 2025
.Reception: December 7th, from 3 PM – 5 PM
Title: Unprimed
In this solo exhibition, Samuel Perry presents a dynamic series of large abstract paintings on unprimed canvas. Embracing the rawness of the material, the works explore the tension between control and spontaneity. The absence of priming allows the canvas to breathe, absorbing materials in unpredictable ways that blur the line between artist and surface, intention and chance.
These abstract forms invite viewers to engage with color, texture, and movement in a direct, visceral manner. The unprimed canvas becomes a partner in the creative process, allowing the natural flow and absorption of paint to dictate parts of the composition. Through layering, sweeping gestures, and an intuitive approach, the works evoke a sense of freedom and vulnerability, echoing the organic and often chaotic nature of human emotion and experience.
This body of work challenges the traditional boundaries of painting, placing emphasis on the material’s interaction with the medium and creating a conversation between absence and presence, exposure and concealment. Each piece is a reflection of the artist’s ongoing exploration of abstraction, where meaning emerges through the process rather than through representation.
Artist Biography: As a lifelong artist, Samuel Perry is always looking for the next opportunity to translate their everyday experiences into artistic expressions. Since 2014, they have joined the San Diego art community and are gaining increasing acclaim.
Their approach and output are constantly evolving as they hone their personal style. However, currently focusing on abstract, they work hard to ensure they do not repeat themselves. No matter what, Samuel approaches each work with complete enthusiasm and total dedication. Their passion for connecting personal history and significance through visual artwork drives their love to create and share on canvas. Samuel’s work has been included in juried exhibitions in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles county, and is included in personal collections around the nation.
Samuel lives and is based in Southern California – living with his partner and two dogs: Morris and Bleu.
Opening at IAMA in the Lightspace Gallery on November 8th, 2024, on display through December 2nd.
November 8th 2024 – December 2nd, 2024 Opening reception: November 23th from 3 – 5 PM
Charis, Gen AI Image Awards invites viewers into a realm where human creativity and artificial intelligence intersect, presenting imaginative visuals that redefine artistic boundaries. This exhibition showcases not only the winning works across four distinct categories—Photorealism, Visual Arts, Fashion, and Architecture—but also features honorable mentions, each celebrated for their originality and impact.
Every piece in this collection reflects a unique collaboration between artist and AI, where intention meets spontaneity, and structured design encounters the unexpected. By partnering with AI, artists delve into new dimensions of color, form, and style, resulting in creations that push the limits of traditional art forms. Each image embodies the dialogue between control and chance, encouraging viewers to reimagine creativity in the digital age.
Through this exhibition, visitors are invited to explore the transformative potential of AI within the arts, recognizing the technical and emotional nuances behind each piece. Charis bridges the human and the artificial, offering a forward-looking glimpse into the future of artistic expression across these diverse domains.
Opening at IAMA on September 4th, 2024, and on display through November 3rd, 2024.
Join us for the Opening Reception of this exhibition in the Lightspace Gallery at IAMA on Saturday September 21st, 2024 from 1-3 PM.
Jojo Liu, Echoes in Ink: The Fusion of Tradition of Expression in Chinese
Echoes in Ink delves into the fluid and meditative nature of Chinese calligraphy, presenting a journey of experimentation and personal discovery. Rooted in ancient tradition, Chinese calligraphy is more than an art form; it is a visual expression of culture, philosophy, and the artist’s inner world.
In my work with Chinese calligraphy, I explore the balance between precision and spontaneity, merging traditional techniques with modern interpretations. The strokes, flowing yet deliberate, reflect my engagement with the art’s discipline while embracing the freedom of creative exploration. Each piece is an inquiry into the relationship between movement, form, and meaning, and ultimately reveals a dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation.
Echoes in Ink: The Fusion of Tradition and Expression in Chinese invites viewers to experience not just the aesthetic beauty of Chinese calligraphy, but also the personal and experimental process behind it. Through this experiment, I hope to bridge the gap between the ancient and the contemporary, drawing attention to the enduring power of this timeless art form.
About the Artist:
“My art practice is based in the rich and beautiful tradition of Chinese calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy is one of the most traditional art forms in the world and is truly representative of Eastern art and culture. My grandfather inspired and taught me to practice Chinese calligraphy from a young age, and I continue to have more love for it every day.
By introducing my experience and passion, I present a modern twist to traditional Chinese calligraphy. My work strikes a delicate balance between traditional calligraphy art with a personal flair.
I hope to continue spreading my passion for Chinese calligraphy as an art form in today’s world.”
– Jojo Liu
Jojo is a current member for the San Francisco Chinese Arts Association [舊金山中華藝術學會], as well as a member of the American Artist Association [美國藝術家協會]. Her work was published in the 2018 San Francisco Chinese Arts Association Member Catalogue, and in the 2019 Chinese American Artists in Los Angeles Member Catalogue.
On display in Lightspace Gallery from August 7th, 2024 to September 1st, 2024.
Exhibition Statement:
It is an honor to have my western landscape images shown in the most beautiful city in the American West! San Francisco – with its rich history beginning as a small pueblo and expanding over time into a modern city filled with great restaurants, gorgeous architecture, distinctive neighborhoods and, of course, an amazing and diverse art culture – is an ideal city to show my work. My photography depicts scenes not found in the city proper, but encompasses restrained tableaux that embody the expansive history of the West, including San Francisco’s.
For my fine art landscape photography, I apply the organizing principles and inspiration: simple shapes, graphic lines, eliminate clutter. Light when necessary. Repeat.
For me, trusting my vision is an extremely important aspect of what I do. I learned long ago not to second guess things like composition or light or content. Photography is, as is many art forms, a reaction to experience, spirit, instinct and that which immediately resonates. I do have visual triggers – a black asphalt road cutting for miles through harvested wheat, an empty, snowy field with a stream curving to a single tree, a small barn with its roof barely visible above a barren hillside. My landscapes do not look the way they do strictly because of the locations; I gravitate to the stark and isolated vistas because they speak to me, are what I feel.
I thank the IAMA for this opportunity to show my work in their unique space.
Artist Biography:
Over the years, Jeff Corwin has taken photos hanging out of a helicopter over the Thames River, in the jungles of Borneo, on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi while photographing arrier Jet missions over the Tyrrhenian Sea for Rolls-Royce. He has done photo shoots in 41 countries/5 continents, including in Moscow with two retired KGB agents with AK-47’s accompanying him and Belfast, Northern Ireland in the mid-80’s. Assignments included portraits of famous faces, including Bill Gates, Cesar Chavez, Ray Bradbury, LA Police Chief Daryl Gates, Michael Graves and Vanna White, and photos for corporate clients like Microsoft, Dell, Apple, Boeing, Lockheed, AT&T and Time/Life. His hottest photo shoot: Abu Dhabi at 114 °F. The coldest: Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada at -40 °F.
After 40+ years as a commercial photographer, Corwin has turned his eye to fine art photography, primarily landscape vistas. He brought the same vision forward, creating photographs grounded in design. Also, his early formal studies with Arnold Newman, environmental portrait master in Rockport, Maine, provided him with solid technical bedrock that still serves him. For Corwin, a recognition of what personally resonates – a reaction to experience, spirit and instinct, as well as simplicity, graphic forms and strong configurations that repeat are what “do it” for Him.
The seeds were sown about 15 years ago during an assignment in the sparse eastern part of Washington State. He began to recognize the visual triggers. A black asphalt road cutting for miles through harvested wheat. An empty, snowy field with a stream curving to a single tree. A small barn, the roof barely visible above a barren hillside. Yet his landscapes do not look the way they do strictly because of the locations. Corwin gravitates to the stark and isolated vistas because they speak to him. It is what he sees because it is what he feels. Trusting his vision is extremely important to Corwin. His experience has taught him not to second guess elements like composition or content. That does not mean he is opposed to enhancing what he sees. After many years of shooting landscapes without any tools other than a camera, Corwin began to do what he did for his commercial work – artificially light subjects by bringing powerful strobes into the landscapes. This augmentation stayed true to the essence of the scene while heightening the surface tension. After decades of photographing in B/W, he began introducing color into his photography and landed on a technique that is more painterly and interpretive, with colors muted and shifted in temperature. Corwin’s exhibitions (recent and upcoming) include International Art Museum of America, San Francisco, CA; Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, UK; Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Glasgow, Scotland; Jean B. King Gallery, College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, ID; Step Up Gallery / Mesa Public Library, Los Alamos, NM; WaterWorks Museum, Miles City, MI; Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT; Northwest Montana History Museum, Kalispell, MT; #Art on Screen/Big Screen Plaza, New York, NY; Jyväskylä Art Museum, Jyväskylä, Finland; Bader & Simon Museum, Cincinnati, OH; Casino Luxembourg, LU; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM; West Charleston Library Gallery, Las Vegas, NV; Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA; Cedarburg Art Museum, Cedarburg, WI; High Desert Museum, Bend, OR; Summerlin Library Gallery, Las Vegas, NV; Colorida Galeria del Arte, Lisbon, Portugal; SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM; Masur Museum, Monroe, LA; Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA; Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA; Echo Arts, Bozeman, MT; NYU Tandon School of Engineering / Integrated Design and Media: Art in the Wild; DragonFLY Creative Space, Chicago, IL; Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, IL; Still Point Arts Gallery, Brunswick, ME; Stapleton Gallery, Billings, MT; The Art Spirit Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, ID; and the University of Texas at Tyler. Two recent artist books were published about his photography: “Guns+America,” Atelier VGI, New York, NY, 2023 and “Jeff Corwin,” Cahier d’images, Luxembourg, LU, The Jyväskylä Art Museum, Jyväskylä, Finland recently purchased a Corwin photo for their permanent collection. Corwin is an award recipient of Art Folio 2022 Abstract Photography – Silver; Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) 2022 Honorable Mention; and Black and White Prize Winner: Honorable Mention, New York Center for Photographic Art. Interviews include KSFR Santa Fe Public Radio/Cline’s Corner; UMFM Radio/Art World Innovators, Manitoba, Canada; and WCBU Peoria Public Radio/Out and About.
Recent and upcoming global press coverage includes, among others, Hyperallergic; Art Reveal Magazine, United Kingdom; Santa Fe New Mexican/Pasatiempo; Modern Renaissance; Magazine 43, Berlin, Hong Kong, Manila; ART UP MI, Milan, Italy; Into The Void, Vancouver; LandEscape Art Review, UK; New Mexico Bar Bulletin, cover; Sage Literary and Arts Magazine, Yale University; Blue Mesa Review; Camas Magazine; The Fourth River; Gemini Magazine; Arboreal Literary and Arts Magazine; Diagram; Imitation Fruit Literary Journal; Superpresent Magazine; Third Street Review; Dream Noir; The Fictional Café; Rip Rap 45; ArLiJo; Photo.com; Share Journal; Counterclock; MVIBE Magazine, New York; The Museum of Americana; Art Folio Annual 2022; 3 Elements Review; Whitefish Review; Another Chicago Magazine; Agave; Woven Tale Press; Barzakh Magazine; Apricity; Artdose Magazine; All About Photo; 805 Lit + Art; F-Stop Magazine; The Working Artist; Apero Catalogue; Interalia, UK; and FOTO Cult, Rome. Gallery representation: Stapleton Gallery, Billings, Montana; Echo Arts, Bozeman, Montana; and Stewart Gallery, Boise, Idaho.
On Display in Lighstpace Gallery from June 13, 2024 to July 31st, 2024.
Join us for the Opening Reception of this exhibition in the Lightspace Gallery at IAMA on Saturday, June 15th, 2024 from 3 to 5 PM.
Artist Statement
In my paintings, I try to create visual portals and possibilities for viewers to see anew. I communicate this attempt by way of visual conversations: whether through dialogue between the materials and the medium I choose to work with, an intra-dialogue among the various pieces of my oeuvre, or the dialogue my paintings have with their viewers. At different points in time, the vehicle of dialogue allows me to put specific concepts such as “memory,” “resistance,” and “spirituality” in conversation with one another, thereby demonstrating how these concepts are not mutually exclusive—how they, in fact, depend on one another.
In “Renold Laurent, Vibration of Colors,” I delve into my daily life, cultural roots, and the national history that has shaped my identity as a Haitian artist. I seek to explore my immediate and peripheral environment through observations of everyday life. I aim to capture various human perspectives using the language of symbols, shapes, and colors. I invite spectators to interact with a dance of shapes and colors, which offer an abstract glimpse into everyday life. I think that art is a way to move people by giving them special insight into experiences of joy, pain, and revelation. Consequently, my main objective is to reconcile or mediate art’s possibilities and society’s realities.
I use different materials. Depending on what domain I’m working in, I will privilege certain materials over others. For example, in a specific technique that I’ve cultivated over the years, I deploy mixed media—including, but not limited to, cloth, charcoal, resin, and sometimes even coffee grounds—in order to create a kind of recuperation. And by recuperation I mean how I ultimately reuse and transform these materials. For this exhibition, I focused on vibrant colors and shapes. A dialogue among the shapes, colors, shadows, and light that I paint, creating, what I ultimately hope is a real feast for the eyes. I encourage viewers to engage in an interpretive dialogue, inviting you to ponder the opportunities for meaning-making and the multiplicity of meanings embedded within each piece.
Sally Nicholson is a masterful weaver of visual narratives, employing iconography as the fundamental language of her work. She skillfully stylizes representations of subjects through mythical, heroic, and historical symbols. Her pieces delicately balance humor and pathos, surrounding central images with motifs reflecting a profound appreciation for fabrics, vibrant hues, and sumptuous textures.
Inspired by the rich tapestry of global mythologies, Sally infuses her artworks with a diverse and meaningful vocabulary. Each piece encapsulates individuals and objects that have left an indelible mark on the artist’s psyche. Drawing from her eclectic experiences, Sally has woven a rich tapestry of skills and insights, with her past accomplishments serving as the intricate threads that contribute to the unique narrative woven into each piece, making her artistic journey a harmonious synthesis of rich and varied professions.
Join us for the Opening Reception of this exhibition in the Lightspace Gallery at IAMA on Sunday, March 10, 2024from 3 – 5 PM.
We live in a world where it is difficult to feel a part of the whole, as we continue finding ways to connect to each other. Skinner’s work gives expression to her journeys through many cultures and the five elements, the balance being imperative to our survival.
Skinner’s creative sensibilities stem from growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Her Bachelor of Arts and Science from Stanford University included painting instruction with Nathan Oliveira and Frank Lobdell. Twenty years in biological illustration began Skinner’s professional career. Between studios in Seattle and Santa Fe, she is an innovative artist with multidisciplinary methods: encaustic, oil, photography, glass, printmaking, sculpture, textiles and found objects.
Skinner’s monograph 108 published by Radius Books, documents her investigation of this symbolic number over 14 years using extensive multimedia. Unleashed – an anthology of animals, focuses on man’s relationship portrayed through the animal eyes, published with Woodland Park Zoo and University of Washington Press. Various anthologies contain her artwork and writing: Speak for the Tree; The Art of Discovery, Exploring a Northwest Art Collection; and Others Will Enter the Gates. Her work of art and poetry is included in over 100 publications: ARTfolio, Blue Mesa Review, Superpresent. Cold Mountain review, Another Chicago Magazine, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Leaping Clear, Monk Gallery, Interalia Magazine, LandEscape Art Review (London), Artists on Art, Magazine 43 (Berlin, Hong Kong, Manila), The Woven Tale Press.
Skinner has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo exhibitions have included in 2023 Hem of Heaven at Perry & Carlson Gallery, Mount Vernon, Washington and Crosscurrents, Waterworks Gallery, Friday Harbor. Represented by PIE Projects in Santa Fe, Skinner was included in the December 2023 Slice of Pie exhibition. Branigan Cultural Center in Las Cruces featured her solo exhibition Illuminations: Corvids and the Accumulations series was in the Summerlin Public Library Gallery and the Enterprise Gallery of Las Vegas, NV. Skinner has been part of the U.S. Art in Embassy program, Tokyo, and Papua New Guinea. Public collections include Seattle University, Seeds of Compassion; Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington; Tacoma Art Museum; Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe; Museum of Northwest Art; Swedish Orthopedic Institute; Virginia Mason Medical Center; Seattle Children’s Hospital.
