Alan Chin (artist)
Encyclopedia
Alan Christopher Chin is an American
artist
working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has worked in the media of painting
, printmaking
, drawing
, photography
, sculpture
, and film
. He is known for his exploratory paintings and sculptures. Chin studied at California College of the Arts
in Oakland, California
, and has since shown work in galleries around the world. As a Chinese American
artist, Chin draws inspiration from his family heritage
, creating works commemorating his family’s affiliation with the California gold rush
and the construction of transcontinental railroad
in the western United States
the 19th century.
) Chinese American
family at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California
, with an older sister, Tiffany, who is a prominent Graphic Designer
in the San Francisco Bay Area
. Chin’s father Dean Chin is president and founder of Design Farm in partnership with Chin’s mother Marjorie who works as creative director. Chin Graduated from Acalanes High School
in Lafayette
, and moved to Oakland where he studied at the California College of the Arts
(formerly California College of Arts and Crafts) where both Chin's parents studied in the late 1960s
. In 2008 Chin studied in Europe at Academie Minerva
and Hanze University Groningen(Hanzehogeschool Groningen) in Groningen, The Netherlands.
. Inspired by his graphic designer
parents, along with the works of artists such as Paul Klee
, Jasper Johns
, Ruth Asawa
, Wayne Thiebaud
, Isamu Noguchi
, Julie Mehretu
, Jackson Pollock
, and John Baldessari
, Chin won many awards during his teen years. Chin's interest in nature sparked him to study and apprentice under Japanese American
Bonsai
Masters, Kunatoshi Akabane, and John Naka
, mastering traditional Japanese
landscape
, and traditional Japanese bonsai
cultivation. By age 11, Chin's Bonsai trees were selected to be included in the prestigious National Cherry Blossom Festival
Japantown
, in San Francisco. At 15, he was selected as the youngest artist commissioned to participate in the Hearts of San Francisco
project, benefiting the San Francisco General Hospital
foundation.
, Sacramento
, New York
, Paris
, Berlin
, Ceglie Messapica
(Italy
), and Groningen (The Netherlands). Chin has worked as an assistant to (American
painter
) Raymond Saunders
. Chin has worked as a curator at galleries such as Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, and Stephen Wirtz Gallery in San Francisco, and is an active community activist and philanthropist
. He donates his art and time to organizations such as American Red Cross
, Keep A Breast Foundation
, Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
, Haiti Relief Fund, Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation, and other local charities. Chin’s paintings have been compared to the work of Helen Frankenthaler
and Ed Ruscha, and his sculptures to the work of Louise Bourgeois
and Joan Miro
. He is recognized for his originality and understanding of many experimental mediums. Currently, Chin has been working to expand the Oakland Art Murmur (Oakland's First Friday Event) through increased awareness of art and bringing in the work of both established and emerging local artists. Chin is a co-founder and owner of Iron Triangle Winery with winemaker
Mathew Ybarra, Travis McFlynn, and John Toki, started in Richmond
, California
in 2009. Chin currently lives in Oakland, California
, and works in his Oakland, Richmond studios. He is represented by Steve Herrmanns Galerie in Berlin
, Germany
.http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/September-2005/Film-Fest-Spotlight/ http://www.orindaartscouncil.org/PDFs/Spotlight_Sep_05.pdf Chin is recognized for his originality and understanding of many experimental mediums.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has worked in the media of painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He is known for his exploratory paintings and sculptures. Chin studied at California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
in Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and has since shown work in galleries around the world. As a Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
artist, Chin draws inspiration from his family heritage
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
, creating works commemorating his family’s affiliation with the California gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
and the construction of transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
in the western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
the 19th century.
Background
Chin was born into a (TaishanTaishan
Taishan is a coastal county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region....
) Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
family at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, with an older sister, Tiffany, who is a prominent Graphic Designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Chin’s father Dean Chin is president and founder of Design Farm in partnership with Chin’s mother Marjorie who works as creative director. Chin Graduated from Acalanes High School
Acalanes High School
Acalanes High School was the first of several high schools in the Acalanes Union High School District in Lafayette, California. It was built in 1940 on what was then a tomato field. The school was built with federal money through the work of the Works Project Administration through the Roosevelt...
in Lafayette
Lafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
, and moved to Oakland where he studied at the California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
(formerly California College of Arts and Crafts) where both Chin's parents studied in the late 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. In 2008 Chin studied in Europe at Academie Minerva
Academie Minerva
Academie Minerva is a Dutch art academy.The academy was founded in 1798 in Groningen as a school for signing, building and shipping knowledge. Nowadays it is a school for fine art and design and part of the Hanze University Groningen...
and Hanze University Groningen(Hanzehogeschool Groningen) in Groningen, The Netherlands.
Early life
Chin grew up primarily in Lafayette, CaliforniaLafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
. Inspired by his graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
parents, along with the works of artists such as Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
, Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Jr. is an American contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.-Life:Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed...
, Ruth Asawa
Ruth Asawa
Ruth Asawa is a Japanese American sculptor. In San Francisco, she has been called the "fountain lady" for her works that include the mermaid fountain at Ghirardelli Square...
, Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter whose most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. He is associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, although his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate...
, Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi
was a prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public works, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces,...
, Julie Mehretu
Julie Mehretu
Julie Mehretu is an artist, best known for her densely-layered abstract paintings and prints. She lives and works in New York City...
, Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, and John Baldessari
John Baldessari
John Anthony Baldessari is an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lives and works in Santa Monica and Venice, California...
, Chin won many awards during his teen years. Chin's interest in nature sparked him to study and apprentice under Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
Bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
Masters, Kunatoshi Akabane, and John Naka
John Naka
John Yoshio Naka was an American horticulturist, and bonsai cultivator...
, mastering traditional Japanese
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
, and traditional Japanese bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
cultivation. By age 11, Chin's Bonsai trees were selected to be included in the prestigious National Cherry Blossom Festival
National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington...
Japantown
Japantown
is a common name for official Japanese communities in big cities outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo, or Nihonmachi , the first two being common names for the Japanese communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.-North America:Japantowns were...
, in San Francisco. At 15, he was selected as the youngest artist commissioned to participate in the Hearts of San Francisco
Hearts of San Francisco
Hearts in San Francisco is an annual public art installation started in 2004 by the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation for the purpose of fundraising. The project is inspired by the international CowParade exhibit, in which cow sculptures are painted by various artists and installed in...
project, benefiting the San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...
foundation.
Career
Chin has shown in select group and solo shows in cities such as Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Ceglie Messapica
Ceglie Messapica
Ceglie Messapica is a town and comune located in the province of Brindisi in the Puglia region, southern Italy, in the Murge traditional area.- Geography :...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), and Groningen (The Netherlands). Chin has worked as an assistant to (American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
) Raymond Saunders
Raymond Saunders (artist)
Raymond Saunders is an American artist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1934. He currently lives and works in Oakland, California. Saunders is currently a professor of Painting at California College of the Arts, Oakland, California. He is a visual artist, with a place in American art history...
. Chin has worked as a curator at galleries such as Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, and Stephen Wirtz Gallery in San Francisco, and is an active community activist and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He donates his art and time to organizations such as American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, Keep A Breast Foundation
Keep A Breast Foundation
The Keep A Breast Foundation is a Carlsbad, California non-profit organization that uses art and educational programs to raise awareness of methods of prevention and early detection of breast cancer....
, Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina included federal government agencies suchas the Federal Emergency Management Agency , state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals...
, Haiti Relief Fund, Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation, and other local charities. Chin’s paintings have been compared to the work of Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler is an American abstract expressionist painter. She is a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work in six decades she has spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work...
and Ed Ruscha, and his sculptures to the work of Louise Bourgeois
Louise Bourgeois
Louise Joséphine Bourgeois , was a renowned French-American artist and sculptor, best known for her contributions to both modern and contemporary art, and for her spider structures, titled Maman, which resulted in her being nicknamed the Spiderwoman...
and Joan Miro
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. He is recognized for his originality and understanding of many experimental mediums. Currently, Chin has been working to expand the Oakland Art Murmur (Oakland's First Friday Event) through increased awareness of art and bringing in the work of both established and emerging local artists. Chin is a co-founder and owner of Iron Triangle Winery with winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
Mathew Ybarra, Travis McFlynn, and John Toki, started in Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2009. Chin currently lives in Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and works in his Oakland, Richmond studios. He is represented by Steve Herrmanns Galerie in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/September-2005/Film-Fest-Spotlight/ http://www.orindaartscouncil.org/PDFs/Spotlight_Sep_05.pdf Chin is recognized for his originality and understanding of many experimental mediums.