The first art in the city was Memory Prints: The Story of Phillip Chen. This exhibition in the Museum of Chinese in America did not end as an experience, but as a change. I have been to museums throughout my life, and there were arts that caught my eyes, however, Phillip Chen, caught my heart. The most impressive method by Phillip Chen was his usage of mathematical symbols in art. It was impossible within my mind to use mathematics, a realm of exactness and universal answers, to incorporate in art, a realm of multiple interpretations and abstraction. What was considered “oil and water” in my perspective, Phillip mixed the two contrasting worlds and created a beautiful product. Phillip proved to me that anything or anyone can dive into the world of art and be a part of something better and something greater. Having the first experience of staring into an artwork in awe, a change was occurring within me. I was swimming in the mind-blowing effect created by his printings and embraced everything Phillip was offering. He induced both parts of the brain, the logical and the artistic, to create a simultaneous interpretation. Phillip is a master printmaker, he prints his paintings not on paper, but in the hearts of the viewers, permanent prints that cannot be erased, but remembered.
The entrance leading to Nam June Paik’s Becoming Robot was just a mere introduction to greatness of art. The presentation itself was different from the previous exhibitions. This unconventional protocol of entering individual rooms, in which each room containing different types of art, was like entering different worlds. Each room had its unique set of arts and had its unique gifts and tasteful fruits. For example, one room contained three cameras, each projecting different colors with different angles, with its image on the television, representing different perspectives and its effect on each other. Another room was filled with families of robots made out of television. The father figure was made with huge televisions, while on the other hand, the baby robot was made up of miniature televisions. In addition, another room presented a television with a reclining Buddha on top. On the television screen, was a naked lady lying down. Its juxtaposition was portrayed to criticize televisions’ detrimental effect on the erotic images that women emit through films and the media. I felt like an explorer trying to find the treasure that Nam June Paik buried within his artworks. I was trying to dig out the deep, yet simple message in each of his work. I was not searching for the gold of wealth, but the gold of enlightenment.
Straight White Men…this play still haunts me today. Starting from its mysterious introductory music, to the ambiguous and incomprehensive ending, the play was out of proportion in every aspect. The beginning of the play initialized the mood and built the setting of how the entire play will proceed as. Using only four characters, this play was able to capture the attention of the entire audience. Each character emitted distinct colors, by representing its distinct characters, and developing exclusive personality traits that held me captive for the entire show. These men displayed a certain life style in Christmas, setting the mood and the plot. Its perfect mixture of both comedy and drama resulted in several mood swings that drew me into their world. From the comical atmosphere in the beginning of the play, to the rising tension throughout the later part of the play, was just the right seasoning for the crowd to focus their attention. Using minimal props and a single setting, its product was a masterpiece. However, the ending was left to question. It was as if the play just stopped in the middle. As mentioned before, it was out of proportion in every element, and I loved the rollercoaster ride.
