I am honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Individual Support Grant from the Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Foundation.
Their support is a meaningful reminder of why I keep showing up to do the work. Thank you for investing in artists and making it possible for us to continue our work with focus and integrity.
I am honored to be included in this wonderful group show titled: “Persona: Exploring Self-Portraiture” at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, CA.
It features the work of more than 20 contemporary artists as well as historical self-portraits, spanning over 125 years. The exhibition probes the expanses of self-portraiture and examines the concept of visual representations of the self. “Persona” features paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, fused glass, digital art, textile art, illustrations, and more.
The exhibition will be on view at the Forest Lawn Museum from April 26-August 10, 2025. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 26, from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at the Forest Lawn Museum. The event will feature live music by the Pocket Quintet and complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
The exhibition also includes the work of Christen Austin, Alison Blickle, Brad Donenfeld, Shivy Galtere, Andy Gersh, Patrick Hruby, Janna Ireland, Maren H. Jensen, Jordan Kay, Ruthy Kim, Michelle Kingdom, Huntz Liu, Eric Merrell, Elisabeth Pollnow, Narcissus Quagliata, Man Ray, Ramona Rosales, Semra Sevin, Christopher Slatoff, Jawsh Smyth, Tom Wilson, Andy Warhol, and Mika Yokota.
“Self Portrait”
35 x47 ink on panel, 2024
Both of my U.S. born parents and their families were imprisoned during WWII when people of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from the west coast of the United States and put in one of 10 internment camps far from the coast.
The text used to render my self-portrait is the Immigration Act 1924 that excluded all asians from immigration to the US. The late 19th century saw the rise of “Yellow peril” the perceived threat of Asian societies replacing the American identity which led to a series of immigration acts in the late 1800s early 1900s. There was the Chinese exclusion act of 1882, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, the Immigration Act of 1917, and the Immigration act of 1924 that were aimed exclusively at Asian immigration.
I have been engaged in a series of ink on panel portraits titled “con.Text” that examines historic events in relation to the current social and political climate and raises awareness of past abuse and injustice by a government against a targeted minority group.
I research and reference text from government documents and use the words as my mark to render each person with the very words that affect them. Using words as a building block transforms them from a label to a broader gesture that is used to define a new visual language of strength and beauty.
I am honored to be included in the 2024/25 City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Project (COLA-IMAP) initiative. This years fellows include design and visual artists Carmen Argote, Olivia Booth, Bryan Ida, Flora Kao, and Jemima Wyman and literary and performing artists Charles Jensen, Yozmit The DogStar, Azar Lawrence, and Wilfried Souly,.
COLA-IMAP artists will receive a grant from the City of Los Angeles to support the production of original works. Works by the visual design artists will premiere at DCA’s Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) in the Spring of 2025, and the literary and performing artists will present their work in partnership with Grand Performances in the Summer of 2025 as part of the 28th edition of DCA’s COLA-IMAP annual initiative.
I have four new works up at Billis Williams Gallery in Culver City
I have a piece in this annual group show at BILLIS WILLIAMS GALLERY
Opening Saturday July 20th, 4-7pm
2716 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
“Washington Blvd” 42×42 acrylic and epoxy on panel 2014
In this series from 2014 I was exploring the idea of memory and it’s relationship to our feeling of place. We have strong emotional memories tied to certain locations as well as small recollections based on glimpses of areas we have passed by. Our memory is a reduction and refinement of our experience and I tried to collect and assemble an assortment of thoughts and impressions and distill them to their essence and lay down the elements in paint.
I developed a technique that layers paint inside thick layers of epoxy, essentially isolating each layer from one another. This physical separation gives a sense of depth, volume and detachment reflecting on the idea of memory and its many layers.
“The Depths” 24×21 acrylic on panel 2024
Music is revealed over time. paintings are there all at once.
“Liquid” 36 x 30 acrylic on panel 2024
I was always intrigued by the limitations of the visible color spectrum and how it relates to the audible spectrum of sound waves. In sound formation there is the fundamental tone one hears in addition there are overtones or harmonics that are less audible yet contribute to the overall sound one perceives. Here I am burying the initial gesture with subtle overtones of transparent color.
Unending variation within physical limitations.
“City”16 x 20 acrylic and Ink on panel 2024
Finding depth and volume using line and color
24 x 24 acrylic and epoxy on panel 2024
A straight line is a perfect metaphor for man trying to control nature instead of being a part of it. There are no perfect lines in nature, just a representation of an idea.
In this series I bury the white lines into the background using many layers of transparent color. As they get deeper into the layers of color they fuse with the dark matter background.
“Solar” 25×18 acrylic on panel 2024
Bryan Ida 