News

And We’re Off… New Mobile-Responsive Website Launched

New Year, New Website

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The new home page features filtering and sort functions.

My new website is live!

christinewongyap.com

The redesign is mobile responsive—the content scales accordingly to phone or tablet. (No more tiny text!)

This allows for bigger pictures and texts on desktop monitors and laptops. I like the new, big-text aesthetic of web design. As screen time increases, might as well make screen content really easy to read.

The new home page features filtering and sorting options. Find projects by theme or media, and/or then sort your  results by name or year. This project index also appears at the bottom of project pages, so you can easily pick another project to view.

Project pages have been reconfigured so you control the display of gallery images. Mobile users load only a preview image, while laptop and desktop users see thumbnails. Click a button to view the full gallery.

The redesign is the result of many weeks of learning, coding, revising, and testing (with lots of support from M and feedback from friends).

I’m pleased with it and I hope you like it too. If you come across any broken links or other mistakes, please let me know!

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6/27–8/30: summertime… @ jenkins johnson gallery

Exhibition view, Summertime... at Jenkins Johnson Gallery,

Exhibition view, Summertime… at Jenkins Johnson Gallery. Two of my ribbon texts are on view alongside lovely ribbon-based wall works by Vadis Turner.

June 27–August 30, 2013
Summertime…

Jenkins Johnson Gallery
521 W. 26th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Summer gallery hours: Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm

Works by Shawn Huckins, Vadis Turner, and Christine Wong Yap. The exhibition features works of varying media and content, though all embody the dedication to contemporary art and mastering their media that Jenkins Johnson Gallery strives to propagate.

Christine Wong Yap, hope for good, allow for even better, 2012, ribbon, thread, pins, 51.5 × 47 in / 1.3 × 1.2 m

Christine Wong Yap, hope for good, allow for even better, 2012, ribbon, thread, pins, 51.5 × 47 in / 1.3 × 1.2 m

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The Dark Would: a new language art anthology

I’m thrilled to have my work included in this forthcoming anthology to launch at Whitechapel Gallery.

The Dark Would, ed. Philip Davenport

The Dark Would, ed. Philip Davenport

THE DARK WOULD language art anthology
Edited by Philip Davenport

This is a moment in time when poets and many artists share the same primary material: language. Conceptual art, vispo, text art, outsider art, conceptual poetry, flarf, concrete poetry, live art, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, sound scores… THE DARK WOULD is a compelling document of now, alchemising text into art into text.

THE DARK WOULD gathers work by over 100 contributors including some of the most noted artists and poets alive today: Richard Long, Mike Chavez-Dawson, Jenny Holzer, Fiona Banner, Maggie O’ Sullivan, Tacita Dean, Tom Phillips, Tom Raworth, Nja Mahdaoui, Lawrence Weiner, Susan Hiller, Tsang Kin-Wah, Charles Bernstein and many, many more.

THE DARK WOULD comes in two volumes, one paper and one virtual, sold both together for £29.99, published by Apple Pie Editions. The book will retail at £29.99 for both paper and electronic volumes together and will be available from Amazon, Apple Pie Editions website (distributed by KFS) the Tate and LMAKprojects in New York.

LAUNCHES APRIL 11 AT WHITECHAPEL GALLERY:

Join us at Whitechapel Gallery in London for the launch of a pioneering anthology of text artists and poets, with talks/readings by artist Simon Patterson and poets Caroline Bergvall and Tony Lopez.

Contributors include:

Jerry Rothenberg, Rosemarie Waldrop, Tom Phillips, Nja Mahdaoui, Tom Raworth, Paula Claire, Susan Hiller, Robert Grenier, Ed Baker, Lawrence Weiner, John M Bennett, Kay Rosen, Allen Fisher, Richard Long, Ron Silliman, Richard Wentworth, Kevin Austin, Maria Chevska, Alan Halsey, Ken Edwards, Mike Basinski, Charles Bernstein, Jenny Holzer, Hainer Wörmann, Tony Lopez, Fiona Templeton, Maggie O’Sullivan, Geraldine Monk, Marton Koppany, David Annwn, John Plowman, Jesse Glass, Jurgen Olbrich, Liz Collini, Robert Sheppard, Patricia Farrell, Fernando Aguiar, Shirin Neshat, Penelope Umbrico, Gregory Vincent St Thomasino, Steve Waling, Robert Fitterman, Michalis Pichler, David Austen, Keiichi Nakamura, Shaun Pickard, Geof Huth, Tony Trehy, Wayne Clements, Peter Jaeger, Elena Rivera, Kenny Goldsmith, Harald Stoffers, Erica Baum, Nick Blinko, Philip Terry, Caroline Bergvall, Carol Watts, George Widener, Philip Davenport, Nico Vassilakis, Monica Biagioli, Tacita Dean, Jeff Hilson, Alec Finlay, Christian Bok, Fiona Banner , Nigel Wood, Satu Kaikkonen, Simon Patterson, Dave Griffiths, Nayda Collazo Llorens, Vanessa Place, Peter Manson, Andrew Nightingale, Matt Dalby, Steve Miller, Christoph Illing, Sean Burn, Doug Fishbone, arthur+martha, Hung Keung, the gingerbread tree, Brian Reed, Laurence Lane, Tomomo Adachi , Tom Jenks, David Oprava, Scott Thurston, Julian Montague, Derek Beaulieu, Wang Jun, Mike Chavez-Dawson, Alec Newman, Rick Myers, Andrea Brady, Eric Zboya, Linus Slug, Jeff Grant, Richard Barrett, Christopher Fox, Linus Raudsepp, Carolyn Thompson, Tsang Kin-Wah, Stephen Emmerson, Andrew Topel, Anatol Knotek, Ola Stahl, Roman Pyrih, Christine Wong Yap, Sarah Sanders, Ying Kwok, Catherine Street, Michael Leong, Sam Winston, Angela Rawlings, James Davies, Rachel Lois Clapham, Steve Giasson, Amelia Crouch, Aysegul Torzeren, Jeremy Balius, Emily Crichley, Amaranth Borsuk, Ben Gwilliam , Imri Sandstrom, Sam le Witt, Michael Nardone, Tamarin Norwood, Lucy Harvest Clark, Jessica Pujol Duran, Holly Pester, Rebecca Cremin, Ryan Ormonde, Nick Thurston, j/j hastain, Bruno Neiva, SJ Fowler, Alex Davies, Helen Hajnoczky, Samantha Y Huang, Anna frew, Nat Raha, Jo Langton, Ekaterina Samigulina, Emma King, Leanne Bridgewater and more.

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BOOOOOM! Irrational Exuberance Flag Raising Ceremony

The past 48 hours have been incredible.

The exhibition, Happiness Is…, is finally open at Montalvo Arts Center’s Project Space Gallery!

Curated by Donna Conwell following the suggestions of M and S, the show has come to fruition after months of preparation, Skype conferences, and then, for me, 5.5 weeks in residence at Montalvo’s lovely studios. After a brief stint back home in NYC, I returned to Montalvo with a trunk-load of Dad’s vintage tools to changeover the gallery. We fueled ten days of install with good tunes (Elton John and Journey), good snacks (clementines and wasabi peas), and even better friends (Leah Rosenberg and Susan O’Malley) and helpers (the not-one-complaint Kellen).

We developed the exhibition—making over a dozen new works, as well as determining the pacing for the works, lighting and paint schematics that conveys our ideas, and the how to enact spaces for pleasure, reflection, participation, and investigation. I am unabashedly proud of our accomplishments, hard work, and good collaboration. Huge thanks to Donna for bringing us together and giving us so much freedom to follow our visions, as well as for the wise guidance and hard work around the show and all of the programming. Montalvo’s support of this project is remarkable, and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity.

As part of the opening festivities of Happiness Is…, many volunteers and supportive attendees helped to actualize the Irrational Exuberance Flag Raising Ceremony on Saturday, January 26. The morning started out overcast and still, but blue skies and a light breeze set the perfect scene for the event.

The ceremony begins with a flag procession from the gallery down to Montalvo's flagpole. Flags range in size from 4x4' to 4x6'.

The ceremony begins with a flag procession from the gallery down to Montalvo’s flagpole. Flags range in size from 4×4′ to 4×6′.

Flag bearers in position at the event site. From left to right: Education Co-ordinator Lauren Baines, Elizabeth Travelslight, Curator Donna Conwell, Leah Rosenberg, and Lucas Artist Residency Program Fellow Rick Maciel.

Flag bearers in position at the event site. From left to right: Project Manager of Education Programs Lauren Baines, Elizabeth Travelslight, Associate Curator Donna Conwell, Leah Rosenberg, and Lucas Artist Residency Fellow Rick Maciel.

Leah waves her flag for the voting process.

Leah waves her flag for the voting process.

Lucas Artists Residency Program Director Kelly Sicat distributed mini vinyl flags for the public to use for voting.

Lucas Artists Residency Program Director Kelly Sicat distributed mini vinyl flags for the public to use for voting.

The people have their say.

The people have their say.

The littlest volunteer hoists the flag.

The littlest volunteer hoists the flag.

The people's choice: the first official Irrational Exuberance Flag is raised!

The people’s choice: the first official Irrational Exuberance Flag is raised!

The ceremony ends in a procession back to the gallery, with attendees following.

The ceremony ends in a procession back to the gallery, with attendees following.

Thanks to flag bearers Donna Conwell, Lauren Baines, Leah Rosenberg, Rick Maciel and Elizabeth Travelslight; the Sicat family mini flag distributors; Susan O’Malley for the photos; Dan North for flagpole maintenance; and all who attended for their exuberance!

Happiness Is… continues at the Montalvo Arts Center Project Gallery in Saratoga, CA until April 14, 2013.

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Happiness is… @ Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA

Happiness Is… just opened tonight and I couldn’t be happier about the exhibition. My colleagues and fellow artists Susan O’Malley and Leah Rosenberg are bright, inquisitive, hard-working and extraordinarily generous. Montalvo’s lovely Residency and Facilities staff has provided so much support. I’m so pleased with what we were able to accomplish together, and having the chance to share it finally, it is flat-out euphoric.

Tomorrow’s Flag Raising Ceremony and Artist’s Talk promise to be fun and engaging. Come by if you can, or stop in the show during its three-month run.

January 25–April 14
Happiness Is…

Montalvo Arts Center Project Space Gallery
15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, CA

Take Charge of your Happiness by Christine Wong Yap

On Friday, January 25, Montalvo Arts Center will inaugurate its new 20-month-long programming theme Flourish: Artists Explore Wellbeing with an exhibition entitled Happiness is… which will run through April 14. Installed in the Project Space Gallery and also making use of Montalvo’s 175-acre grounds, the show is organized by the Lucas Artists Residency Program (LAP). Participating artists Susan O’Malley, Leah Rosenberg, and Christine Wong Yap address the question: How do we foster happiness and build a contented life?

 

Wong Yap’s series of texts sewn from ribbons and installed directly on the gallery wall convey messages encouraging positive mental habits. Rosenberg explores how color, light and material impact our sense of contentment with her Illuminated Stripe Works, a series of small striped light boxes. O’Malley has created a space in the gallery where she invites visitors to relax and reflect.
Happiness is… extends outside the gallery, with Wong Yap’s Irrational Exuberance Flags. Activating a flagpole in front of the Lucas Artists Residency, these rotating colorful banners represent the spirit of energetic optimism. O’Malley and Rosenberg have collaborated to create a guided walk through Montalvo’s forest trails punctuated by signs offering positive and happiness-affirming directives and colorful design elements.

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Happiness is…
Related Events

Friday, January 25
OPENING RECEPTION, 7-9:30pm
Project Space Gallery, Free admission
Be one of the first to view the new exhibition, and enjoy two exhibition-specific “happenings” with the artists. At 7:30pm, take a 15-minute silent walk through Montalvo’s grounds, led by Susan O’Malley. The experience, entitled Happiness is WALKING, will take place rain or shine. Participants are asked to wear comfortable shoes. Flashlights will be provided. At 8pm, return to the gallery and participate in a ritual of sharing, pleasure, and community, by sampling site-specific cookies baked by Leah Rosenberg.

Saturday, January 26
IRRATIONAL EXHUBERANCE FLAGS, 1pm
Lot One, Lucas Artists Residency, Free admission
Join Christine Wong Yap in the raising of her Irrational Exuberance Flags
HAPPINESS IS…, A CONVERSATION, 1:30pm
Phelan Library, Historic Villa, Free admission
Join all three of the Happiness is… artists and Carole Pertofsky, Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Services at Vaden Health Center, Stanford University, for a conversation about the pursuit of happiness.

Wednesday, March 20

HAPPINESS TAKES SHAPE, 7pm
Phelan Library, Historic Villa, Free admission
Celebrate the first International Day of Happiness with an evening of reading and performance led by poet Genine Lentine and cellist/vocalist Theresa Wong.


Saturday, March 23
THE SOUND OF HAPPINESS, 1-3pm
Phelan Library, Historic Villa, General: $25; Members: $20; Students: $15
Cellist/vocalist Theresa Wong and poet Genine Lentine offer an afternoon of vocal and writing exercises exploring the relationship of voice, language, and happiness. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience and is open to all ages, including children.


A SPACE (FOR YOU)
Created by artist Susan O’Malley,
A Space (for you) is an area in the Project Space Gallery dedicated for visitors to relax and reflect. From January 26 through April 14, 2013, visitors are invited to rest and engage with others in the gallery. O’Malley also invites visitors to participate in several community healing events. For more information about these events, please visit: http://montalvoarts.org/programs/a_space_for_you/

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Happiness is… Photo Contest
Submit a photograph that best conveys what makes you happy along with a “Happiness is…” caption and you could win a signed inspirational poster by artist Susan O’Malley of $50 value (from the series seen below). Share your photos on Instagram or Twitter by tagging @montalvoarts and adding a “#Happiness is…” caption, on Facebook at lbaines. Select entries will be posted on our website. However you participate, don’t forget to add your “Happiness is…” caption. Deadline to submit is March 19, 2013. Winner will be announced March 20, 2013.

Image Credits:
Christine Wong Yap, take charge of your happiness, 2011, 83 × 24 × 1 in, ribbon, thread, pins.
Leah Rosenberg, Paint confetti, 2012, acrylic paint. Photo credit: Tammi Campbell.Susan O’Malley, Everything Will be Okay, 2009, print.
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Opening 10/25: Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colours)

Christine Wong Yap, Irrational Exuberance (asst. colours), Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester, UK

I’m expanding Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colours) for an installation at the Chinese Arts Centre’s new pop-up shop project space. I was a resident at CAC when I was inspired to explore modest ambitions, decoration, and pleasure through discount store culture, so this is a homecoming of sorts.

October 26, 2012–February 16, 2013
Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colours)
Preview: October 25, 2012, 5:00-7:30 pm

Chinese Arts Centre
13 Thomas Street, Manchester, UK, M4 1EU

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