Dear Friends,

                                                                 

“Recently we have experienced a darkest period in our life, first with the deadly coron  avirus pandemic followed by another horrifying social pandemic both of which have spread not only all over the USA but also worldwide like a tsunami, and nothing seemed to help lift our spirits in hope for humanity.” –Yuko Nii

 

The long lasting coronavirus pandemic and social pandemic have resulted in today's   fragmented world as if we've lost any solution to make the world united and working together.

But then, I have to ask myself the rhetorical question: have we ever experienced the ideal “World in Peace?” Based upon the fact that throughout human history, the world has never experienced “TOTAL PEACE.” As long as we are human beings embedded with the animal instinct, we fight for survival. Our strong innate emotion takes over the intellect and war seems inevitable.

While we are seeing/experiencing the horrifying scenes in every part of the world today, I think of my own small life, feeling how blessed I am because my life is gratifyingly directly connected with creative art-making projects, which is far from fighting for or against something, but rather struggling within to find something satisfying and getting pleasure as a result of what we have created. But, of course, some other artists have their own different reasons why they create art, why they pursue art out of many other choices. 

Most artists tend to concentrate on their one chosen medium either in 2-D works such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, or in 3-D works, such as sculpture, ceramic, glass work, etc. - one or the other but not both. 

Mission of the WAH Center is based upon my "Bridge Concept.” which is encapsulated in the word “WAH” which means in Japanese written in with Chinese characters, "Peace" or "Harmony" or 'Unity."

The WAH Center connects internationally, so we have quite a few international artists who have participated in our shows in the past.

When I began thinking of the future show, I thought this time would be fitting to have an international show. So, I came up with the idea of bridging together the multi-talented artists from our local community of American artists and some International artists who have exhibited at the WAH Center in the past.  And to make the show different from any other shows we had in the past, so I selected 14 artists (7 male and 7 female artists from 8 different countries) to see how these artists have expanded their creativity not limited   to one medium only, but working in 2-D and 3-D, and also Video. I was delighted to find their equally unlimited creativity in all of their chosen mediums.  

And interestingly enough I couldn’t help noticing distinctively unique heritages and cultures some have from their native countries, which is revealed in their works.

The remarkable thing about these artists is that they have been continuously pursuing artists' careers more actively than ever before.

It makes us think again and again about the nature of ART. “What Is Art?”, "Why Do Artists Create?”, and "What Does Art Do To Humanity?" 

 

Google defines “the purpose of art in society” as follows: “Art can uplift, provoke, soothe, entertain and educate us and is an important part of our lives. At its most profound level, it takes us from the everyday to a place of introspection and contemplation, to see the bigger picture of the human condition.” Furthermore, “Art gives meaning to our lives and helps us understand our world. It is an essential part of our culture because it allows us to have a deeper understanding of our emotions; it increases our self-awareness, and also allows us to be open to new ideas and experiences.”

 

Susan Vreeland (an American writer, the internationally known author of art-related historical fiction) said things about “Human Cruelty” and what art does to our society: “Where there is no human connection, there is no compassion. Without compassion, then community, commitment, loving-kindness, human understanding, and peace all shrivel. Individuals become isolated, the isolated turn cruel and the tragic hovers in the form of domestic and civil violence. Art and Literature are antidotes to that.” 

 

And I add, “ART CONSOLES OUR SPIRITS, GIVING US A RENEWED HOPE FOR LIFE.”

Yuko Nii,

Curator of the Show, WAH Center