ALUMNI. RE-ENGAGED. - Columbus College of Art and Design

EXHIbITS ALUMNI
JERRy kWAN
(1934–2008),
CLASS Of ’76 The Rooftop Houses, 1984
Internationally renowned artist Jerry kwan
(CCad ’76) touched the lives of many artists
through his enthusiasm and passion for art.
his passing in may of 2008 inspired a group
of friends, former colleagues, and students
to organize a retrospective exhibition at the
hong kong arts Center in his memory. the
exhibition displayed a range of kwan’s works,
and demonstrated an artistic progression that
speaks to the exploration of new ideas and
learning that was a constant throughout the
artist’s career. the exhibition catalogue gave
insight into the life of this devoted artist and the
lives he touched.
Jerry kwan’s artistic pursuits permeated his
relationships with friends and students, which in
turn enhanced his professional career. originally
from hong kong, kwan was persuaded by a
friend to pursue his passion for art in the u.s.
his education and experiences during nearly
two decades in the u.s. influenced a large part
of his work. kwan’s work, created in a variety
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of mediums, including printmaking, pencil
drawings, oil paintings, and sculptural forms
made from simple materials, is visually divergent
and represents the different phases in his life,
including his time at CCad, new york, and back
in hong kong.
At CCAD
during his time at CCad, kwan became part of
a core group of international students, including
several other artists who went on to achieve
international fame, such as ming fay and Bing
lee. the students shared the common bond
of having hong kong as their home. the
relationships kwan built at CCad influenced
the rest of his career, and his friends were able
to witness the progression of his artistic abilities
for more than thirty years. Bing lee remembers
kwan’s style at CCad as reminiscent of artists
he respected, such as mark rothko and
edward hopper.
In New york and Hong kong
after leaving CCad in 1976, kwan received an
mfa from the university of syracuse before
deciding to settle in new york City. many of his
CCad classmates also ventured to new york
while he was there. together, they struggled
to survive in the city, dealing with a lack of
income and stability. during this period, after
experimenting with a variety of different
mediums, kwan focused on oil painting.
this period was marked by brooding cityscapes,
which, according to ming fay, were reflective
kwan’s emotional state. fay describes his work
at this time as “not about the exterior of the city,
but more about the real emotions of a Chineseamerican
artist in his environment. his paintings
were authentic in showing and expressing a
solitary person walking along at night inside a
cold concrete urban jungle.” his work of this
period earned him a national endowment for
the arts fellowship in 1995.
In 1997, kwan returned to hong kong, where he
taught and became a mentor to many students. his
homecoming marked another change in his art. once
again he experimented with new materials—this time
integrating parts of Chinese folk tradition. kwan used
simple sculptural forms including paper cuts, wood, and
textile materials to re-create Chinese deities in a modern,
“pop art” style. this stylistic change made reference to
his homecoming while paying homage to his Chinese
heritage.
Bing lee remembers kwan this way: “I think Jerry has
always been young at heart to me, always wanting
to learn. I admired his courage—if he wanted to do
something, he found a way to do it.”
top rIght:
Jerry kwan (kneeling, front) with fellow students at
CCad, 1974
Bottom rIght: In this article in Megachine magazine
from the late 1990s, CCad alumnus patrick Chu (’75)
spoke with kwan about the influence of Chinese
philosophy in his work.
WINTER 2009 IMAGE MAGAZINE
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