EXPAND AND CONFLATE

The paintings of Deanna Lee present a similar opportunity for interpretation when we take into consideration specifically the line quality of her pieces. In one sense, the thick, black strokes that define Lee’s artistic signature in this show very strongly reference the calligraphic strokes of traditional Chinese scrolls and painting. In a separate context, however, they could very well be the line work yielded from a linoleum-cut print, both results being defined by an uneven thinning and thickening line that is more natural and amorphous than it is straight and rigid. The similar properties of a calligraphic line, the line produced by a linoleum-cut print and Lee’s painted line create a relational hierarchy in which understanding the physical form of a shape is the priority and categorical understanding of the shape is secondary. Only after we come to understand the shape in front of us—Circle? Square? Amorphous?—are we then encouraged to surmise an ancillary interpretation of what the shape could mean.

When we jointly consider some of the most prominent visual qualities of the artworks in this show—the bold, cartoonish imagery, distinctive quality of line, and art historical references—we are very quickly able to identify themes particular to both historical and contemporary Asian visual culture. What is interesting, however, is that none of these artists currently reside in an east Asian country and that all have made the US their home. If art is an expression of one’s self and personal influences, then why is it that the art selected for this exhibition speaks so seamlessly to cross-cultural themes and audiences?

Herein lies the crux of "EXPAND AND CONFLATE," Whether it is a form that is as simple as the network of shapes populating Soonae Tark’s three-dimensional canvases, or the interfacing logos and faces that emblematize our respective cultures on the urns of Sin-ying Ho, shape and form are the visual cues that elude language, and in doing so, carry with them the greatest potential for meaning.

Our understanding of shape, color, and form is not dictated by anything inherent to shape, color, and form but instead taught to us by the cultural context in which we interact with these elements every day. For example, octagons in themselves possess no inherent qualities that would otherwise demand we come to a complete stop, yet they’re meaning is implicitly understood across the globe. Our relationships to the physical world thus become a way of translating our experiences into meaningful, tacit dialogue. Depending on the situation we are able to speak multitudes through cultural motifs and iconography, or be simple and concise through a single shape. In a world where neighboring countries share everything from currency to pop music, "EXPAND AND CONFLATE," makes a compelling argument for visual literacy as a means for significant exchange and nation-less dialogue, noting that sometimes images speak louder than words.