VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents Joan Son - Part Geometry, Part Zen: A Personal Exploration through Paper (In the Artist Hall). On view April 9 – June 12, 2011. EXTENDED: on view through August 13. Reception with the Artist Friday, April 29, 5:30 - 8:00 PM.

In her solo exhibition, Joan Son – Part Geometry, Part Zen: A Personal Exploration through Paper, celebrated paper and origami artist, Joan Son, focuses on the themes of the elements found in nature—fire, water, earth and air. Known for her large-scale installations of origami butterflies, Son will cover the walls of the Artist Hall with 500 butterflies. In addition to this colorful installation, the exhibit features sculptural and traditional artworks made throughout the Houston artist’s career.

Joan Son has worked in the medium of paper, based in the discipline of origami, since 1993, when she debuted her art in the windows of Tiffany & Co. However, her interest in origami began many years earlier, when she folded her first paper crane as a teenager. She has created numerous large-scale installations for public and private venues, as well as small works for museum shops, such as the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Her work has been exhibited in many Houston venues, including the C.G. Jung Center, the Chase Bank Lobby Gallery, Archway Gallery, the Williams Tower Gallery and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where she was a participating artist in CraftTexas 2008. All of her works are crafted one at a time, using the finest Japanese and international papers. She is a member of Origami USA and attends their conventions in New York City, where she studies with origami masters from around the world.

In celebration of contemporary visual art in Texas, HCCC is participating in the 2011 Texas Biennial project by joining in with over 60 arts organizations across the state with this exhibition. The full list of participating organizations and further information on the project, including the 2011 Texas Biennial exhibition on view in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, from April 9 - May 14, is available at www.texasbiennial.org.

Also on view at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft Arline Fisch: Creatures from the Deep and Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-in-Residence.

Above: Joan Son, Half Full. Paper. 2011. Photo by Joan Son. (detail above, full image below).