That Was Zen This Is Tao: A Journey in Haiblog

Web Site Activity

2008-07-25T07:38:00.001-07:00

Hmm... so there's been an unusual amount of activity on my web site these past two days. Yesterday, I hit close to 70, now it's nearing 100. What's the deal? Who are you people? Normally I know why I get spikes in visits, but this time, I honestly have no clue. Mysterious!

Jared's Crib

2008-07-24T15:31:00.001-07:00

So we've been having a heat wave here in New York till just a few days ago. As is customary, since I don't have a/c, I tend to couch surf at various people's apartments till the heat wave breaks. This week, I crashed at my friend Jared's place out in Brooklyn. He just moved there about a week ago, with my token help (since I have a wrist injury, I ended up just guarding the car), so it was quite a delight to see it all come together.

His bedroom, as you can see, is totally minimalist chic - clean black and white, with Asian-inspired twin lamps and a slender floor vase with black bamboo. We're going to figure out what to place up top - I feel like something colorful would be good. Red, perhaps, but that might be cliche.

His kitchen is tiled, with stainless steel fridge, microwave and oven. Even his George Foreman grill and wall clock match - so perfect! And that's his dog Gigi down below, properly posing for the camera. The living room is actually very nice, too, but I didn't get a good shot due to the light. And anyway, he still has to put things up on the walls (hint hint).

I think I would like interior decor as much as art and fashion if it were easy for me to do that. If anyone has an apartment and a flexible budget, I'd be happy to try to help put your place together!

Eating Korean, Part 1

2008-07-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

Things I've learned about eating Korean:

* Come hungry.
* Toast frequently.
* Never pour your own drink - pour for your neighbor.
* Wear dark clothes, and definitely avoid white. You'll find out why.
* Korean food is generally more expensive because you get two meals. The meal you order, plus the panchan (little appetizer-snack things).
* Soju is amazing. But it sneaks up on you. If you're a lightweight girl and are trying to keep up with the guys, be careful when standing!
* The experience gets better with 3 or more people. Around 4-6 is ideal.
* In New York, the waiters are gorgeous. In Los Angeles, the waiters are gorgeous.
* Don't pick up your rice bowl! Bad manners.
* Wash your hands beforehand, because you'll be using them often.

More lessons later.

Tripods

2008-07-21T10:10:00.001-07:00

This is my thought on tripods: Don't use them. I only use tripods in two situations: (1) When I need a long exposure, and (2) when I'm photographing myself. Otherwise, I prefer free-form - it allows me to adjust my height and angle as necessary for the moment. If you join me on a shoot, you'll often see me climbing things and lying down on the ground, just to get the perfect shot.

iPod Touch

2008-07-20T04:17:00.001-07:00

I'd like to get an iPod Touch soon, and I believe that's going to happen in the next month or so, thanks to a most kind arrangement with a friend. I realized this last night when I was talking about my art - it was so abstract, and the person listening could only imagine what I was trying to say. But if I had an iPod Touch, I could just whip it out and show the pictures with casual elegance.

It's not even the phone I care about. It's the ability to show photos, as well as add some productivity tools. That's what I like.

Growth

2008-07-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Why do some people reach their creative potential in business while other equally talented peers don’t?

After three decades of painstaking research, the Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck believes that the answer to the puzzle lies in how people think about intelligence and talent. Those who believe they were born with all the smarts and gifts they’re ever going to have approach life with what she calls a “fixed mind-set.” Those who believe that their own abilities can expand over time, however, live with a “growth mind-set.”

Guess which ones prove to be most innovative over time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/business/06unbox.html?ex=1372996800&en=3ff90cffede14256&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I love this article. I'd like to read the actual academic study, but it basically sums up my beliefs in agency and human ability.

I've said before that I think of perfection as a journey, rather than a goal. And that's because, even if you're perfect, you're only perfect for the particular circumstances of the particular moment. For instance, a perfect city dweller (and of course, being perfect is a hypothetical) wouldn't do too well in the desert. City mice and desert mice are made differently, for different goals and needs.

Growth, and being open to the idea of growth, is something I live by. We can always grow, always change. The human brain and body are amazing things.

2008-07-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the lovely Miya Ando Stanoff, who works with steel panels to create meditative images - "Ultimately I am interested in the study of subtraction to the point of purity, simplicity and refinement." We'd met at GLAAD OUTAuction 2007, where we both won an award for Best Emerging Artist.

After some much-needed spiritual and artistic nourishment from our conversation, I wandered over to the DUMBO waterfront to see Olafur Eliasson's waterfalls. I'd heard mixed opinions about it, but one thing was clear: see them at night. So I did just that! After hanging out for a while, I watched the sunset and the lights on the waterfalls go on. They were amazing.

I feel like I'm at a major transitional period in my life. I've been thinking intensely about everything - my art, myself, my direction in life - and it's all starting to show in the work I've been putting out lately. Times like these, the best place to go is the ocean - the smell of salt water, the lapping of the waves - it all (ironically) keeps me grounded. I suspect I won't understand what's going on until I look back a few years from now.

$2 Show at i-5 Gallery

2008-07-12T07:08:00.001-07:00

An Xiao is participating in the $2 Show at i-5 Gallery at the Brewery Art Colony. Mat Gleason, editor of Coagula and director of Gallery C, gave 100 artists a $2 Bill on which to make their masterpiece - each artwork is priced at $200 as a fundraiser for i-5 gallery. Featuring Carol Es, Michael Salerno, David Trulli, Mark Hix, Leigh Salgado, An Xiao and others!

An Xiao @ i-5 Gallery
The Brewery Art Colony
2100 N. Main St., #A-9 (in the Atrium at The Brewery)
Los Angeles, CA 90031

July 11 - Aug 23, 2008
Reception: Saturday, July 12th 7-10pm

This show marks An's first juried show in Los Angeles (her hometown) and her first time exhibiting her self-portraiture work, and she's thrilled to participate!

"New York Climbs Building"

2008-07-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

You heard it here first - pretty soon they're going to call it the "New York Climbs Building".

NEW YORK - A man climbed part way up The New York Times' 52-story headquarters early Wednesday, becoming the third person to scale the skyscraper in less than five weeks.

The climber, identified by police as David Malone, made it to the 11th floor of the mid-Manhattan building before descending to a lower level where he spent hours making cell phone calls and talking to police. He was arrested about 5:30 a.m., police said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_re_us/skyscraper_climber

Streethaiku Ice Cream

2008-07-08T20:08:00.001-07:00

Swung by Alphabet Scoop last week with my friend Miguel, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a haiku contest! I wonder who will enter.

And look, Streethaiku was flavor of the week :)

Juakali

2008-07-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

Photo by An Xiao :)

Juakali: Trinidadian Toaster

“I’ve never thought of myself as an MC,” reveals John Lashley reluctantly over the phone from his home in New York. Lashley, who performs as Juakali, wasn’t billed as “MC” until 2006, after his residency at NYC dubstep party Dub War started picking up steam. “The only way people associate a reggae artist toasting over electronic music is through drum & bass,” he says ruefully. “I’m not even a drum & bass head anyway!”

http://xlr8r.com/features/2008/06/jukali-trinidadian-toaster

Something New

2008-07-08T05:02:00.001-07:00

Motion
An Xiao

Something new

2008-07-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

Mask 2
An Xiao

Click! and Murakami

2008-07-05T22:56:00.001-07:00

Swung by the Brooklyn Museum tonight for their First Saturday. First, we checked out Shelley Bernstein's lecture on the theory and practice around Click!, the crowd-curated exhibition she organized and put together. The show itself was really wonderful and interesting, from a sociological and social psychological perspective. And I was curious about a few things - like how there could be so many self-defined "experts", who by definition are fewer, and why certain things like staircases and the Coney Island skyline seemed to have a common appeal. Definitely check it out if you have time, even if it's only online. You can see my work here.

I then had an interesting experience, because we decided to check out the © MURAKAMI show. I was annoyed with it in LA - it seemed so crassly commercial, especially with a functioning Louis Vuitton store in the middle of the exhibition. It was also an overwhelming orgy of color, thanks to MOCA's layout, which allows a survey of almost everything at once if you're standing in the right place.

But at the Brooklyn Museum, I noticed two things - (1) the works were more divided up into separate spaces and chunks, in a more traditional gallery layout. This made things more digestible and easier to manage, and I could actually see the works as their own. Without the visual headache I experienced at MOCA, I could focus on the meaning of the pieces, and their own commentary on contemporary Japanese and world culture. And (2), for some reason, the commercialism seems less crass in New York. It didn't seem strange to me to pay $5 for an art show on a supposedly-free evening at the museum. It's as if New York's rampant crass commercialism is ripe for commentary - there's an obsession here with chic, art-inspired luxury, and people aren't afraid of hiding it (Sex and the City wouldn't have made as much sense in LA). Murakami's deliberate embrace and contribution to that came across as more intelligent (if not profitable). And yet I can't help but read Mat Gleason's anti-Murakami rant and find myself nodding in agreement...

Clearly, I'm confused, but in any case, my head is now swimming with all kinds of ideas, and it's exciting and frustrating because there's so little time, and I'm having trouble sleeping. I'll be talking more about them shortly. To the, you know, two people who read this thing. For a sneak peek at what I'm up to, check out my Flickr.

Fireworks

2008-07-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

While working in my studio, I listen to the parties in my neighborhood. They are just outside but feel like worlds away as I bury myself in a world I am constructing with images and lights. As I sit at my computer to edit some recent shots, something catches my eye: the light of a few fireworks makes its way through the blinds.

I'm grateful for this life, for those fireworks, for the freedom and ability to sit in my studio and work on something I love.

My healthy obsession with Korean food continues...

2008-06-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Mmm... not only is kimchi delicious and addicting... it's good for you!

Why to try it: Kimchi (or kimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.

Boats and Ships

2008-06-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

It is so hot again in New York. As much as I hate the days, I love the evenings. Last night, my friend and I watched the sun set, and the lights across the Hudson go on, then all we could see were boats and ships making their way up and down. Some were thumping parties glamorously circling Manhattan, and some were totally silent and almost totally dark, making their way to mysterious places far upstate. By the time we finished talking, it was nearly midnight, and the weather was simply perfect.

The Scoop

2008-06-27T11:34:00.001-07:00

So! A good opening last night at Alphabet Scoop, with the unveiling of streethaiku ice cream. I'm very much grateful to Juliet and the Vedral family for inviting me to their inaugural art exhibit, and of course, all who trekked out in the beautiful weather. I gave out 5"x7" prints of InterSection, all part of a new small prints series I am putting together for the summer. A good time was had by all.

Here are two quick pics. Not the most flattering of me, but definitely of Juliet. And in case you're wondering: it's not off white balance (see my dress) - it's actually a very cute green interior. :)

Gosh, I've been in New York for three years now, and look at all this crazy stuff I've been getting pulled into. Brings tears to me eyes. *sniff*

Happiness is a Loaded Camera

2008-06-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm all kinds of happiness and bubbles today!

* My ice cream show is tonight, and they made a special streethaiku flavor for all of July!

* My photo was selected for the top 25% at the Brooklyn Museum!

* Tricycle Magazine's interview with me is up and running! Sarah Tood called me "an all-around superstar" but I think she is a supernova. :)

* I had Korean food for dinner and am having a pork bun for breakfast!

Lights

2008-06-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I've been in LA this week. Hence the lack of bloggage and emails. Sorry to those of you I fell out of contact with. I'll be back in New York in a few days, and then my brains will be so fried from the heat and humidity that I'll probably not be back on email for a while anyway.

The good news is that I'm embarking on a yet-to-be-named new direction in my art, in which I photograph myself and things. After three years in the art world, I'm interested in doing something different. I hope it's not a total flop. Part of this is that I'm setting up a studio, sans money or funds. This is fine, because I like challenges, and I just discovered that H&M sells white parasols for only $6.90. I bought two.

Using the umbrellas on regular house lamps, plus some fill flash from my Sigma EF-530, I'm able to achieve very crisp, even lighting, such that I can turn the camera on myself and take pictures with confidence. The normal lighting in the room is pretty dark otherwise.

Incidentally, I'm using that photo for the upcoming $2 Show at i-5 Gallery, opening July 12. It's a scary show for me, because I've not done serious mixed media before (at least not since arts and crafts in grammar school), and I have to admit I'm a bit clueless. I'm honored, at least, that I'll be able to participate.

More from the winter...

2008-06-13T07:34:00.001-07:00

Coney Island's seats out back. Normally they're packed with people. That day, they were packed with snow.

Britney

2008-06-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, Britney's new video is so bad ass.

(Aaaand, I just posted about Britney Spears.)

Puppies

2008-06-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, the heat wave here has finally broken. I woke up today, stepped outside and was ecstatic! So nice. On Monday, I had to take half a sick day because I was still dizzy and lightheaded. Fortunately, I was able to couch surf at Manhattan friends' houses, to enjoy both their company and the generosity of their air conditioning units.

Tuesday night, I stayed over with Jared Wolf, who designed my fabulous web site. Jared has a lovely menagerie of two little dogs (Sophie and Gigi) and one fluffy cat (Maya), who all seem to love me. I even had the distinct pleasure of walking Sophie around the block. From the perspective of a little dachshund mix, one round around a Manhattan block is filled with adventures. All kinds of things to sniff and poke at. Then at night, Maya kept meowing until I called her over and she snuggled up with me.

everything around
this block is so exciting!
we poke around -
she, the little dog
me, the grown-up girl

Winter, Summer

2008-06-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

Skyline, 2008

I almost fainted today from the heat. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but at times I felt like fainting was a good idea. I started to feel dizzy and got a mild headache, which I was able to stave off with water, Gatorade and a Slim Jim (remember: salt is your friend!). Also swung into a Vietnamese restaurant with my friend Mari to have some delicious banh mi. Nothing like a Vietnamese sandwich to brighten my mood.

I'm missing winter. I'm not a whiner - I literally experience physical discomfort when it's too hot outside. Once, I suffered from heat exhaustion, and Mari had to sit me down and sprinkle cold water over my body while I ingested what felt like gallons on water. So much for the Filipina girl from Los Angeles. Where did my heat tolerance go?

Speaking of winter, the photo above is from my Coney Island snow series, which I've been slowly popping onto my Flickr account. Unless something changes suddenly, that was the last snowfall on Coney Island before Thor Equities totally takes over. The series is my pride and joy, and I'm excited to be uploading more in the coming weeks.

Shanghai Triad

2008-06-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Used without permission from amazon.com. Don't sue me!

Watched Shanghai Triad yesterday. Technically, I watched it over the course of three days, as I've been so tired when I get home that I can only watch movies in chunks. In any case, I finished it yesterday. I want to see this great filmmaking couple in action in all their films.

It didn't receive much in the way of critical acclaim, which is rare for a Zhang Yimou film, but I still found it stunning. I suppose a bad day for Zhang is a great day for the average director. It featured his usual crisp sounds and sharp compositions (often with a strong use of color). I wasn't at all bothered by Wang Xiaoxiao's performance of Shuisheng, the little boy who serves as the film's protagonist. Even if he was flat, I saw him more as a device to see into 1930s Shanghai. He was our Vergil, so to speak, for the criminal underworld.

Really, it was Gong Li, playing a gorgeous, charismatic moll, who carried the day. My first introduction to her was primarily in very glamorous roles, such as Memoirs of a Geisha, Curse of the Golden Flower, and Chinese Box, so her work as Bijou seemed more or less standard. But I have to keep in mind that it was more her peasant work that first got the attention of China. In any case, she's swiftly become my absolute favorite actress - a woman who can play a country bumpkin and a high-class urbanite in whatever time period with so much passion.

The film made me think a lot about the temptations of glamour, money and power - themes that have so much relevance to today's America - and how the images we project of ourselves may or may not contrast how we feel, or how we were raised. I can see a new direction in my art evolving out of these themes, and what I'm seeing each day I wander the streets of New York and Los Angeles, especially in the art world.