Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

On Tuesday morning, I got to check out a preview of the L.A. Heat: Taste Changing Condiments group show at the Chinese Museum. The impressive 30-artist lineup–which pays tribute to the Sriracha and Tapatio hot sauces that spread culture around L.A. and beyond–features many names that will be familiar to Giant Robot heads: The Clayton Brothers, David Chung, Kwanchai Moriya… I grabbed a photo with contributing artist Michael C. Hsiung and co-curator/Interim Executive Director of CAM Steve Wong in advance of the packed opening. Also present on press day were artists Trinh Mai, Michael Massenburg, and Ching Ching Cheng–each is as cool as her or she is talented. Tonight’s gala will be open to the public and will feature most of the artists as well as the inventors of the Southern California-based Sriracha and Tapatio, David Tran and Jose-Luis Saavedra, Sr. Excellent art, culinary legends, and a cool museum celebrating its tenth anniversary–check it out tonight in El Pueblo de Los Angeles, right across from Olvera Street! Reception info - http://camla.org/upcoming-exhibits/ Address - Chinese American Museum 425 N. Los Angeles Street Los Angeles, CA 90012      
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Last night I attended the opening of (de)Constructing Chinatown, the Chinese American Museum‘s newest exhibit. The group art show was envisioned by curator Steven Wong as a creative way to reflect the diverse peoples and perspectives that create L.A.’s Chinatown. I didn’t get to say hi to all of the artists (or even Steve, who was in New York) but I did get to catch up with my old friend Shizu Saldamando (above). Her impossibly fine–and effortlessly cool–pen-on-bedsheet works are featured prominently, right next to the show’s main signage and statement.

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You might recall my gushing review after attending preview night at the Chinese American Museum for its current show, Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). I returned to the Downtown L.A. destination when it wasn’t so crowded to talk to co-curator Steven Wong (above) about the show.

MW: Architecture can’t be easy to show in a museum because so much of it is felt when you walk in a building or stand in its shadow.

SW: It’s hard to show architecture in a museum, and to understand architecture as an art form is even harder. But it’s something we interact with on a daily basis. Everyone has a relationship with architecture whether it’s conscious or not. When I was doing research for the show, I realized that Chinese American architects were responsible for many iconic buildings that really molded my experience as an Angeleno growing up.

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Last night I went to the member’s preview of Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980) at the Chinese American Museum. The Pacific Standard Time-affiliated show’s topic is self-explanatory and very cool, showcasing styles from Googie to Modernist with some photography by Julius Shulman.

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Every two years, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance sponsors an art competition for grades K-12. This year’s contest, which asked students across the country to submit art that reflects Chinese zodiac animal that represents them, was co-sponsored by the Chinese American Museum. It was the latter that invited me to be a judge. My favorite piece showed a tiger dreaming about his birthday. Very realistic and surreal. All pieces were 18″ x 24″, and ranged from crayons and watercolors to inks and collage. There were a few oils on canvas. The subject matter ranged wildly, with elementary-school students going out of their minds depicting animals that not only co-exist in their own fantastic universe but put on fashion shows and clean up toxic waste as well. Wouldn’t the pastel rendering of a horse in space look great airbrushed on the side of a ’70s van? Sadly, there was some evidence that creativity becomes stifled as the age brackets become older, but there were always enough well-executed submissions to make judging interesting. The five jurors represented CACA and CAM, and included members of the Pueblo and the mayor of South Pasadena. It was interesting to hear everyone’s point of view, and I wasn’t afraid to call otherwise popular pieces corny. The ones shown here are some of my favorites, and many of them went on to win. Although the winners were determined over the weekend, their names remained anonymous and won’t be unveiled until a banquet takes place later this month. Or is it next month? I’m sure that CAM or CACA will provide the details soon, and the two grand prize winners and top three finishers in each categories will receive scholarships adding up to 3,400 bucks. In the meantime, I gotta get Eloise ready to enter when she enters kindergarten! The Chinese American Citzens Alliance lodge itself is a hidden and cool vintage gem in L.A.’s Chinatown, but what happened to the little to-go kitchen on the other side of the alley? You know, the one that still served big dan tats…
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