ArtX Contemporary is proud to present walks along the kamogawa: the kyoto series – part 1, a new solo exhibition by Seattle-based artist and poet Alan Lau. The series features abstract paintings on rice paper, combining sumi ink, watercolor, and pastel to capture the fleeting rhythms of life along Kyoto’s Kamo River. These works were created during Lau’s annual visits to Kyoto, where he paints in the quiet upstairs utility room of his wife’s hundred-year-old family home, immersing himself in the city’s subtle rhythms.
Born in Paradise, California, Lau began studying Chinese calligraphy with his grandmother before continuing his artistic training in Japan, studying sumi-e and Nanga brush painting. He earned his BA in Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1976. Since moving to Seattle in 1978, Lau has developed a distinctive visual language rooted in the Chinese Literati tradition and Northwest modernism, blending classical techniques with contemporary abstraction.
Lau’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Kyoto City Museum, Francine Seders Gallery, Eye Level Gallery in Brighton, England, and the Museum of Northwest Art. His paintings are held in major collections, including the Tacoma Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Wing Luke Museum, Microsoft Corporation, and the King County Arts Commission. He has received the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award and a Gottlieb Foundation grant.
“Alan Lau is the behind-the-scenes lifeblood of the Asian Pacific Islander American arts community in Seattle and the entire Pacific Northwest. He is an acclaimed painter, published poet, and essential art critic for the nationally recognized Asian Pacific American newspaper, International Examiner, and other publications. Moreover, Alan has created some of the most fundamental building blocks of what makes Seattle a recognized center of Asian Pacific American art in America.” –Mayumi Tsutakawa, March 5, 2016
The exhibition will be accompanied by a lively program of events, includingmusic, performance art, poetry readings, and a book signing. Visit our website for the full event schedule!
You must be logged in to post a comment.