6 AAPI artists to watch in 2023
Who are some of the most exciting AAPI contemporary artists out there? Of course there are more than 6 artists to present, but for the sake of keeping everyone engaged, we’ve picked artists who really do their own thing, and are *quite* good at it.
1. Kelly Akashi (b. 1983)
Based in: Los Angeles
About: Creating primarily sculptures and installations, a recurring motif has been the hand – sometimes it holds, sometimes it grabs, and sometimes it simply touches. Formally trained in photography, Akashi is interested in the state of metamorphosis and its ties to humanity’s relationship with nature.
Follow at:
2. Mike Lee (b. 1983)
Based in: New York
About: Monochromatic paintings at large, bits and pieces of vector shapes populate the three0dimensional space in Lee’s paintings. Some more abstract than others, the greyscale void that accommodates these shapes are, interestingly, never dull.
Follow at:
3. Mie Yim (b. 1963)
Based in: New York
About: Immigrating to Hawaii from Korea at a young age, Yim paints creatures that stem from her personal reconciliation of identity, which developed through the push and pull of memory and fantasy. Painters such as Philip Guston and Joan Mitchell serve as her inspirations.
Follow at:
4. Catalina Ouyang (b. 1993)
Based in: New York
About: Working casually with materials such as (but not limited to) bacteria and yeast, Ouyang sculpts and writes with a range of themes that examine subjection, race, gender, and agency. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the titles of her artworks are as important as the works themselves.
Follow at:
5. Zoé Blue M. (b. 1994)
Based in: Los Angeles
About: Her paintings usually portray a woman-character in motion, in a crisp manner like that of ukiyo-e prints and with figuration reminiscent of anime. The messages in her art cloud around a web of personal emotions, multicultural identity, and the representation of Asian women in pop culture.
Follow at:
6. Mikey Yates (b. 1992)
Based in: Kansas City
About: A Filipino-American artist who was born in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany, Yates paints scenes of everyday life, drawing inspiration from his unique experiences of growing up in a multicultural background. One can’t help but be immersed in the scenes of the world inside the canvas.
Follow at: