Contemporary artist Parker Ito specializes in a wide range of mediums. A fourth generation Japanese-American artist born in 1986, Ito involved himself in a plethora of artistic expression while growing up in Long Beach, California. He began acting and singing at a young age, even appearing on television as a child, before aspiring to become a professional skateboarder. Eventually, Ito found that art was his true calling. He painted oil derricks in Los Angeles, just north of his hometown, and began to dabble in painting, sculpture, and technology-based media. Working primarily with galleries in Los Angeles and China, Ito’s work has been showcased around the globe. His inkjet piece printed on silk, shown here, features a color gradient of dots transcending from deep pinks to dark greens. Ito continues to create his art as commentary on absorption, particularly about how humans interact with the onslaught of media in the modern world. (Olivia Thompson)

Image: Parker Ito (b. 1986), Inkjet Painting #49, 2013. Inkjet print on silk. Courtesy of Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; UC Santa Barbara. 

Chiura Obata

Ojai is a small southern Californian town in Ventura, north of Los Angeles, and known for its beautiful landscapes that draw visitors every year. Pictured in Sumi (Japanese term for black ink), a medium made from the soot of oil lamps, pinewood, animal glue and perfume, the iconic mountains of Ojai are brushed effortlessly in smooth lines onto paper.

Chirua Obata, who drew this landscape and others like it in 1946, immigrated to the United States in 1903 from Okayama, Japan. His life’s work and story includes experiencing the Japanese Internment during World War II. During this time, he founded and directed art schools within the camps. He became a prominent artist in Northern California, and an art professor at UC Berkeley. His works convey a love for the land and established him in the canon of great American landscape artists. (Skylar Lines)

Chiura Obata (1885–1975), Ojai, 1946. Sumi-ink on paper. Gift of the Chiura Obata Family Estate. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; UC Santa Barbara.

Dug Uyesaka

Hung Liu

Hung Liu is a Chinese artist born in Changchun, under the communist regime of Mao Zedong. She has lived through much chaos, with revolution, exile, and displacement. As a result, her documentary images, based on historical photographs, focus on elevating the stories of people who have historically been unheard: ranging from prostitutes and refugees to soldiers and prisoners. Liu’s images speak powerfully to the complex narratives of these struggling individuals. Her portraits display often forgotten individuals in a dignified manner as a way to lend power to their stories.

Liu painted this particular portrait with the same artistic philosophy. This work depicts a Yi woman. It is strongly implied that she is travelling in hopes of a better life elsewhere. In spite of her struggles as a Chinese ethnic minority, she stands tall and bears a stoic, determined expression. Like many of Liu’s paintings, the drips on the canvas make the work appear somewhat dissolved, which alludes to the way in which memory slowly deteriorates as time goes on. At the same time, however, by turning photographs into large-scale paintings, Liu effectively revitalizes the past. (Daniel Ong)

Hung Liu (b. 1948), Border Portrait: Yi Woman, 2000. Oil on canvas. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; UC Santa Barbara.  

Yoon Lee

Yoon Lee is a Korean painter born in Busan, Korea. She is best known for her large-scale acrylic paintings, which tend to be both abstract and dynamic. Her unique painting style often includes large sweeping motions throughout the canvas, making her work appear spontaneous. However, upon closer inspection, it is clear that this is not the case. She develops layers in her compositions by using a computer to filter through images of popular media. She then manipulates these forms to create a sense of motion in her paintings. Her work is actually multiple coatings of carefully applied paint. Thus, her meticulous process contrasts greatly with the energetic appearance of her paintings: a dichotomy between order and chaos. 

Swipe is a perfect example of Lee’s artistic style. It shows large and sweeping black brushstrokes scattered amongst swipes of pinks, yellows, and reds. While this work was completed slowly and carefully, the title of the piece combined with its gestural appearance conveys a sense of chaos and speed. (Daniel Ong)

Yoon Lee, Swipe, 2008. Acrylic on Sintra (PVC panel). Art, Design & Architecture Museum; UC Santa Barbara.  

Alina Kawai