THE MINIATURE WORLD OF SEAN CHAO

"Camouflage" by Sean Chao

A piece of artwork by Sean Chao is an invitation to explore. People don’t view his miniature sculptures in display cases from a distance. Instead, they get as close as possible and look at every tiny detail. Soon, they enter a microcosm of the world that conveys Chao’s unique vision.

Chao’s view of the world is both simple and complex. He acknowledges that life can be hard but tries to offer humor through his artwork as a way to deal with it. He admits that he wants people to enjoy his artwork, offering it as a treat to them.

While Chao’s intentions may seem simplistic, they’ve been developed by challenging life experiences. While he was growing up in Taiwan, there was a bad recession and his father’s furniture business suffered greatly. His family was forced to move from their upscale home in a suburban neighborhood to his father’s factory in a rough industrial area.

Even though Chao’s new home was in a more dangerous area, he points out that there was still beauty there. The ocean was nearby, and he recalls how every year countless red crabs would emerge out of the ocean, crawl up the beach, and lay their eggs in the sand. 

Despite this financial tragedy, Chao’s parents did their best to maintain a normal family life. In fact, Chao explains that this difficult time only made his family stronger. He recalls an incident where his brother accidentally stepped on a rat during breakfast and how they laughed at this frightening but funny moment. 

Chao explains how before the recession, he would never see his father. However, after the financial downturn, he would always see him. He remembers how he would watch his father run his business and design furniture at the same time. He would often sit down and draw with him.

Chao always thought his love of creating miniature sculptures was inspired by his father, who was not only a furniture designer but also an architect and artist. However, he reveals that his passion may have actually come from his mother, who used to grow tiny plants in little bottles.

Chao’s parents recognized his talent and supported his art studies. Luckily, his high school had an art program. Eventually, he gained admission to the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and studied illustration. He learned how to create in every medium, from drawing to painting to sculpture. He found that he liked making art with his hands. While he loved art, he didn’t know that he would eventually become an artist.  

Nature is a recurring theme in Chao’s work. He often depicts dense forests filled with plants, animals, and insects. He’s also portrayed ocean scenes and even space scenes. He creates a lot of movement in every scene so that each one feels like a moment frozen in time.

Chao creates his miniature sculptures in a small studio with Sculpey (a type of polymer clay), bass wood, balsa wood, paper, wire, and painstaking precision. He creates a delicate balance in his sculptures by showing enough detail to illicit amazement and yet enough imperfection to reveal that they’re lovingly handmade.

Watching people view Chao’s artwork, you can’t help but notice their looks of awe as they pore over all the minute details and then their smiles as they walk away. So his intention with his artwork to offer a bit of joy to people seems to be working. Art that tries to change the world—even in a small way—may not be so simplistic after all.

Sean Chao's latest work, "Camouflage," will be on display at "Wild at Heart: Keep Wildlife in the Wild," a new group art exhibition at Thinkspace Gallery from May 26, 2012 to June 9, 2012. 

Opening Reception with the artists: Saturday, May 26, 2012, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

http://thinkspacegallery.com/shows/2012-05/#peek

To learn more about Sean Chao’s artwork, visit:

http://ilikesoju.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/seanchao

[Editor's Note: We're excited to expand our blog by including interviews, beginning with our good friend and extremely talented artist, Sean Chao. Sean created the beautiful key art for our "Art Recession" movie poster: artrecession.com.]

DEPENDENT FILMMAKING

Edwin Ushiro, Artist, being interviewed for "Art Recession" at the Gary Baseman Studio

As much as I like to call myself an “independent filmmaker,” I think that I’m more of a “dependent filmmaker.” I rely on an entire team of people to help me make a film. Without them, my films simply wouldn’t be possible. 

Our latest film is “Art Recession,” a documentary about the importance of art education, which celebrated its world premiere at the prestigious Newport Beach Film Festival. It started as a very small project with a tiny crew, doing interviews of artists at The Mini Show, an art exhibition fundraiser.

However, this humble project grew into a big one. Through the referrals of our interviewees, we enlisted the help of more and more of them. During post-production, we worked with many highly-skilled professionals and their colleagues.

The toughest part of filmmaking may be getting your film out to the public. So we rely on the support of film festivals, festival attendees, the media, and countless supporters. 

I’m deeply honored to have worked with so many respected artists and talented filmmakers on “Art Recession.” Likewise, I’m touched by the support of so many people for the film. In many ways, my films are all about the same thing—gratitude. 

BLIND PHOTOGRAPHER

Many years ago, I took a black-and-white darkroom class and met an extraordinary individual—an extremely talented photographer named Michael Richard. On the first day, he walked into class, using a white cane with a red tip to guide himself. To my amazement, he was legally blind.

In addition to dark sunglasses, Michael wore black clothes and sported a short mullet, like an older rock star. I later learned that he was also an accomplished musician and played in a rock band. He was humble and soft-spoken, and I couldn't help but like him. 

Michael generously shared his medical condition and photographic process with me. Because he wasn't completely blind, he was still able to see a little, abstracting scenes to graphic forms and negative space. He used a basic SLR, attached it to a tripod, set it to a high aperture, and focused it by measuring the distance with his footsteps.

In the darkroom, Michael judged the tiny details of his negatives and prints, using a large magnifying glass. The results were astounding—bold graphic images, thoughtful studies of textures, and complex subjects that would challenge even photographers with perfect vision. However, he revealed that on many days of shooting, he didn't create any good photographs—the mark of a perfectionist.

I attended one of Michael's gallery shows and was deeply impressed by his work. One of my favorite photographs was an amazing black-and-white image of a stairwell leading from a dark underground level to a bright ground level. The stairwell, illuminated by rays of sunlight, seemed to suggest hope and even carry religious overtones.

Michael's work is beautiful and profound; however, what impresses me the most is his strength of character. He not only survived his disability but leveraged it to create powerful works of art. He even inspired others, teaching photography to other blind people at the Braille Institute.

Much later, I was shocked to learn that Michael had passed away from cancer. His legacy is his enduring work as well as the many people whom he inspired, including myself. His passing gave even more meaning to my favorite photograph of his—he helped lead others from darkness to light.

To learn more about Michael’s work, visit:

http://www2.rangefindermag.com/magazine/Jan07/showpage.taf?page=70 

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/17/local/me-richard17

THE LAST CAMERA SHOP

Recently, on a trip to Chicago, I came across this extraordinary camera shop—Central Camera. Founded in 1899, it’s Chicago’s oldest camera store. It was a Sunday so the store wasn’t open, but I desperately wanted to go in and check it out. There’s something special about a camera store that has such a long history.

One by one, independent camera stores have been closing either because of the economy or, worse, obsolescence. People would rather shop at a big camera store chain, a warehouse store, or an online retailer, doing their own research, forgoing customer service, and saving money.  

I can’t help but think of the photography industry, which is rapidly changing. Recently, venerable Kodak filed for bankruptcy. The related motion picture industry is quickly evolving too. In Creative Cow, Debra Kaufmann reported, “ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have quietly ceased production of film cameras within the last year to focus exclusively on design and manufacture of digital cameras.”

While I love using the latest technology, I have a fondness for traditional film cameras. In fact, one of my favorite cameras is a tiny Rollei 35 that I inherited from my father, who was a photographer. He also owned an even smaller Minox 35, which was stolen.

Maybe one day, I’ll travel to Chicago again and finally visit this historic camera shop. Hopefully, it will still exist, and I’ll find a vintage Minox 35 or the latest digital camera. Without specialty stores like this one and their knowlegeable salespeople and innovative products, we never would've arrived here. 

"JOURNEY OF A PAPER SON" STUDY GUIDE

As a companion to the award-winning short film, “Journey of a Paper Son,” we’ve created this helpful Study Guide: 

What is a “paper son”?

What is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? 

How long did the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 last?

Why was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 repealed?

What is Angel Island or the U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island?

How was Angel Island different from Ellis Island?

How were Chinese immigrants interrogated at Angel Island? 

How did Chinese immigrants use “coaching books” to prepare for the interrogations at Angel Island?

Why did Chinese immigrants carve poems on the walls of their barracks at Angel Island?

How did the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 assist in illegal immigration?

What is the Confession Program?

What is the significance of the bill, ACR 42?

What is the Chinese Exclusion Resolution—S. Res. 201?

We’ve also created a Suggested Reading List:

http://astore.amazon.com/httpwwwhuma09-20

In “Journey of a Paper Son,” an elderly Chinese man (Jack Ong), who’s dying from cancer, shocks his family when he reveals that he’s a “paper son” (one who illegally immigrated to the U.S., using fake documents and claiming he’s the son of an American citizen) and asks them for a final wish to change back his name.

His request threatens to tear apart his family (Patty Toy Chung, Angelina Cheng, Teddy Chen Culver), testing the limits of their love. He forces them to question who he really is and even their own identities. Meanwhile, his doctor (Mario Cortez) desperately tries to save him.

We discover that the dying man is just one of countless “paper sons” who were born from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal law to restrict immigration to the U.S. based on race or nationality.

On July 17, 2009, the California legislature approved ACR 42, a landmark bill to apologize to the state’s Chinese American community for racist laws, including the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Recently, the Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 201, the Chinese Exclusion Resolution that acknowledges and expresses deep regret for the Chinese Exclusion Laws. Most importantly, it “reaffirms its commitment to preserving the same civil rights and constitutional protections for people of Chinese or other Asian descent in the United States accorded to all others, regardless of their race or ethnicity” (“Congressional Record—Senate” October 6, 2011).

Hopefully, this Study Guide and Suggested Reading List can help provoke thought, spark discussion, and create change.

To learn more about the Chinese Exclusion Resolution, visit:

http://www.1882project.org/newspress/senate-passes-chinese-exclusion-resolution/

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-10-06/pdf/CREC-2011-10-06-pt1-PgS6352-2.pdf