FAR - NEAR

A curated book series broadening the perspective of Asia through image, person, idea and history to advance the unlearning the inherent dominative mode.

A curated book series broadening the perspective of Asia through image, person, idea and history to advance the progress of unlearning the inherent dominative mode. The Asian continent and its people have often been expressed through the lens of a foreign eye – painted as “the other” to an occidental audience. Our goal is to expand the view of Asia through a personal and conceptual platform, explo

ring heritage and personal accounts as well as showcasing creatives’ work. Our heritage is important to us and helps form our view of the world but we are not limited to it. We have the ability to represent ourselves and express beyond the expected categories and assumptions. We are artists, photographers, theorists, stylists, dancers, essayists, anthropologists, teachers and more.

11/09/2024

“Grandfather’s Shed, Lana’i City, Island of Lana’i” (2008-2010) by Lynne Yamamoto is modeled from a shed belonging to the artist’s grandfather. An office worker for the Dole pineapple plantation, he had constructed the shed from salvaged materials as a space to experiment, becoming a studio for his works re-interpreting traditional Japanese art.

First fashioning a paper model of the shed, Yamamoto digitally scanned and reproduced the form in unpolished white marble. The sculpture is a reminder of paper beginnings, a metonymic recreation of the original structure in Lāna’i City. Concretized anew, the shed memorializes place and history in a hybrid form that is both a monument to her grandfather’s artistic practice and the delight of making, as well as the contested land of Lāna’i.

The Dole pineapple plantation in Hawaii began on a government-issued homestead, shortly after the coup d’état of the Hawaiian monarchy, led by Sanford Dole. The plantation soon became the largest in the world, first expanding from O’ahu and Maui, then purchasing the entire island of Lāna’i. More than a century of plantation agriculture and exploitations of labor have irrevocably changed the island’s ecosystem and land ownership. Casting the shed in marble, Yamamoto reminds us of associations of value and the relationships between place, memory, and material.

For “The more we get together,” Yamamoto has created a site-specific pedestal in maple wood. Low to the floor and mounted on wheels, the pedestal introduces a new viewing height for the work to re-present it in a changed context.

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“The more we get together” is on view for one more week until Saturday, November 16th. Make an appointment to visit us via the Calendly link in bio.

The more we get together
Gordon Matta-Clark, Hsu Tsun Hsu, Lotus L. Kang, Kishio Suga, Lynne Yamamoto
Curated by Ariane Fong & Janette Lu

Images courtesy of Graham Holoch ()

10/29/2024

Asians have long had a presence in Germany, though their significance and numbers rose rapidly in the 1950s when an influx of Gastarbeiter, or guest workers, arrived in East Germany from Central Asia, North Vietnam and South Korea to alleviate labor shortages. After Germany’s reunification, their complicated status as temporary workers meant suddenly navigating new territories of belonging and nationhood.

Today, many Asians in Germany, along with those from waves of newer immigration, are part of these histories, shaping an emerging diasporic consciousness radically different from its counterparts. In this photo series, Indonesian-born, German-raised Chinese photographer Prissilya Junewin reflects on her own youth by documenting the next generation carrying the legacy of their parents’ fateful move. Visit our link in bio as we inquire into family history and navigating multiplicity of the self in Germany and beyond through ’s film and photo project As Far And As Close As Here, film directed by words by

10/24/2024

Last Friday we celebrated the opening of The more we get together, a group show of works by Gordon Matta-Clark, Hsu Tsun Hsu, Lotus L Kang, Kishio Suga and Lynne Yamamoto, curated by Ariane Fong and Janette Lu. Huge thank you to Hope Nguyen, NON and Makku for their libations 🫧 link in bio to visit the show

10/19/2024

Make an appointment to view “The more we get together” from October 18 - November 16, 2024 via the Calendly link in bio.

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“City Slivers” (1976) is Gordon Matta-Clark’s piecewise video of the urban condition of New York. In its making, Matta-Clark obscured the lens of an anamorphic camera with opaque matte strips, recorded in flashes, and rewound the film, imposing filmic slivers edge-to-edge and side-by-side. The film tracks are simultaneous, viewed as everything happens in parallel. The video records sections of the city, vertical strips of different moments emerging from the darkness of the screen, as a visual corollary of Matta-Clark’s anarchitecture. The viewing experience mirrors the memory of a walk through the city with glimpses of cars, pedestrians, and daily phenomena, connected yet seemingly out of the blue. Landmarks appear on occasion, namely the Empire State Building, until the matte closes over the lens like stage curtains.

Like Matta-Clark’s literal cuts of disused buildings, City Slivers rejects voyeuristic viewership of the city, wavering continuously between different scenes without a narrative. Only at the conclusion of the video, concealed by the hazy film, does Matta-Clark reveal its significance.

Still from Gordon Matta-Clark, City Slivers, 1976, 2-channel video projection, 14”21’, dimensions variable.
© 2024 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.

The more we get together
Gordon Matta-Clark, Hsu Tsun Hsu, Lotus L. Kang, Kishio Suga, Lynne Yamamoto
Curated by Ariane Fong & Janette Lu

10/16/2024

On our bookshelves: a FAR-NEAR October book club select! Lotus in a Sea of Fire by Thich Nhat Hahn, published by

This rare book from 1967 is one of the very few written in English by a Vietnamese author giving a Vietnamese perspective on what people in the US call the Vietnam War. Thich Nhat Hanh’s portrayal of the plight of the Vietnamese people during the Indochina Wars is ever more relevant as the United States and Europe continue to grapple with their roles as global powers—and the human effects of their military policies.

10/10/2024

Announcing the last installment of our 2024 programming 💌 RSVP with the link in bio to the exhibition opening of “The more we get together” at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours on Friday, October 18th, 6:00 pm EST.

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Piecing together sculptural and filmic fragments, “The more we get together” presents the notion of self as an allegory of memory. Looking out over Canal Street, the exhibition considers the apparent contradictions of history and sentiment, material and memory, politics and belonging, bringing such questions outside traditional gallery surrounds. Drawing together works by Gordon Matta-Clark, Hsu Tsun Hsu, Lotus L. Kang, Kishio Suga, and Lynne Yamamoto, the exhibition considers traces of collective memory, personal histories, and self-presentation.

The exhibition borrows its title from a photographic series by Hsu Tsun-Hsu (許村旭), taken between 1988 and 1998, which captures moments of both urban mundanity and turbulent social change in the decade following the lifting of martial law in Taiwan. The images in the series are dark, absurd, and playful, both quotidian and extraordinary. Across a thirty-year career as a photojournalist, the vast majority of Hsu’s photographs never made it to print and were set aside for decades. The images presented in the exhibition are selected from his personal archive, taken on assignment amidst historic and transformative moments, capturing both the banal and sensational.

Curated by Ariane Fong and Janette Lu

This project is part of programming organized by FAR–NEAR Studio Hours. The exhibition will be available to view by appointment only from October 18 - November 16, 2024. FAR–NEAR Studio Hours is up three flights of stairs in a non-elevator building.

Image details:
Hsu Tsun Hsu, 總統直選抗爭 (Struggle for Direct Democratic Presidential Election), 1992, archival pigment print, 8 x 12 ½ in. Courtesy of the artist.

09/08/2024

Last week to view over 70 hand printed photographs in ’s show Outside the Window, Inside the Tank at

Link in bio to make an appointment 📖

09/06/2024

Out today! An exclusive interview between and lunch hour collective on their 80-artist exhibition Means of Production, hosted at warehouse in Queens. Visit far-near.media/stories to read the interview! 📦🧦🖼️

09/03/2024

Yuhan’s show is extended for one more week! Make your appointment to view via our link in bio, come see their deteriorating self portrait before it disappears forever 👤🍥

DM or email for price list
Installation photos by .peng

09/02/2024

On our bookshelves: a FAR-NEAR September book club select! Cloud Bridge by Seyoung Yoon and published by our friends at .8.books

A combination of a personal memoir with essays on contemporary artists, completed by short pieces of fiction, Cloud Bridge proposes a subjective approach to the South Korean art scene. In the book, Seyoung Yoon discusses how the generation of South Korean artists born in the 1980s she belongs to – such as Ikjung Cho, Kang Jungsuck, Min Yoon – dealt with social and political issues as well as the notions of self-determination and identity; she connects these concerns with the practices of a wide range of artists, poets, filmmakers, illuminating and reflecting on possible ways to define one’s trajectory. “What may define us as a generation, is intrinsically linked to what defines each of us as a person, meaning, what we fought for, what we fought against, what we stood for, what we welcomed and what we rejected, what we had to accept and what we decided to abandon, what was embarrassing and what was fun, what we hated and what we loved.”

Link in bio to subscribe to our book club - we also have a few extra copies of this book at our studio! Schedule a time to visit or DM to purchase ☁️

08/24/2024

Next Friday, August 30 at 7:30, we will host a special screening of ’s short film “Remnants of an Amateur Film” as part of their solo exhibition “Outside the Window, Inside the Tank” at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours.

What began as a surprise visit to their hometown of Chengdu, quickly turned into a period of mourning as their grandmother passed away. Part experimental theater play, part fly-on-the-wall documentary, “Remnants of an Amateur Film” blurs the lines between observer and participant, character and constructor of the narrative.

Link in bio to save your seat! 🪑🎥

08/17/2024

RSVP to our opening of Yuhan Cheng’s first solo show at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours, Friday August 23rd, 6:30pm. There will be a short conversation with the artist at 7pm, followed by a reception.

A month into moving to New York City from Chengdu, China, artist Yuhan Cheng stumbled upon an empty fish tank abandoned on a curb. It reminded them of the rotating fish in a tank that faded into the background of their mother’s home. In their room, Cheng developed their first n**e self-portrait. Seeing themselves floating in the photo developer reminded them of their body as a container and the many fish that passed fleetingly through their life. “I inhabit my body as if I inhabit my room, and distance allows me to look back at what I call home. Just as my body and room serve as containers, so too does the city.”

Outside the Window, Inside the Tank is a merging of Cheng’s works from the past three years, including 70 photographs, three short documentaries, and one installation. The title reflects the artist’s exploration of displacement and the search for a sense of belonging, whether at home or in the city. From Chengdu to New York, Cheng uses photography and film to navigate their relationship with their body, their room, their intimacy, and their family.

This project is part of programming organized by FAR–NEAR Studio Hours. The exhibition will be available to view by appointment only from August 24-September 6th.

FAR–NEAR Studio Hours is up three flights of stairs in a non-elevator building.

Link in bio to RSVP

08/12/2024

For the closing of Helen Lin’s mending workshop series and installation at FAR—NEAR Studio Hours, Lin and Bonny Cai will guide a conversation with fellow textile artists Ying Feng, Kim Westfall and Joy Mao on the practice of sewing as a means of expression.

FAR–NEAR Studio Hours is the arts community space by FAR–NEAR, a cross-cultural book series and platform aimed at broadening perspectives of Asia through image, person, idea, and history. This year’s programming has been partially funded by Asian Women’s Giving Circle. The studio space and platform is self-funded.

FAR–NEAR Studio Hours is located in Chinatown, Manhattan, three floors up in a non-elevator building. Full address to be released one day before the event.

Guests should arrive between 6:30pm-7pm, as the talk will begin promptly at 7pm.

Link in bio to RSVP!

08/11/2024

Last week to view ’s soft sculpture installation at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours ⏰

Pictured here is Helen’s zine made of the goodbye letters workshop participants wrote to their discarded textiles back in July. Each number coincides with the transformed plush sculpture in the installation.

08/06/2024

Last June, artist Helen Lin led a mending workshop series at FAR–NEAR Studio Hours that began with a presentation on Asian American art and our relationship to textiles.

Helen references above Annie Ling’s images of one of the last standing lodging houses in NYC— home for multiple generations of immigrant Chinese laborers who work at construction sites and kitchens throughout Chinatown.

Ling spent years documenting lives and intimate experiences. Each living space is personal; passages serve as communal spaces. The photographs reveal the beauty of colors and patterns in the fabric of their daily lives.

From now until August 15th, visit FAR–NEAR Studio Hours to see “to you, 100 years into the future,” a soft sculpture installation by Helen Lin exploring the ways we transcribe our stories into permanence through the textiles that outlive us. Link in bio to make an appointment.

08/05/2024

August 10th, for one day only!
We’ll be participating at StillShop Market .stillshop
📅 August 10
🕙 10 AM - 6 PM 📍
Washington Square Park North, McDougal and 5th Avenue

We’ll be joining and 60+ Asian vendors showcasing ceramics, jewelries, publications, outdoor gear, accessories, design objects, and more. See you there!

08/04/2024

Our jade green mugs are back in stock 🐸🍵
Visit our online shop or our studio in Chinatown to order ✨ link in bio

07/05/2024

“What can the rubbery flesh of a mushroom or the ribbed surface of tree bark tell us about histories of migration and photographer Sirui Ma’s desire to call someplace “home”?” .kitahara writes for FAR-NEAR on .ma’s solo exhibition that took place in London last month. Link in bio to read the full review 🍄

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http://far-near.media/

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Videos

@alexhuanfacheng in Xinjiang 🐴❄️🐪

Thank you to everyone who came to @hyereemro lunares curated by @sophia_sofaar and hosted by us at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours 🖤 Quick video edited by Lulu

Teng Yung Han grew up in Tamsui, a seaside town nearby the Tamsui, or “fresh water” River. She describes it as “beautiful but always wet.” Somehow, this sentiment reflects in her work–a dreamlike blend of pastel hues that appear to ebb and flow like a river or a faded memory. She recalls as a child playing make believe and drawing with her friends in an abandoned house next to her own. “It was kind of a wild time–simple and precious. Nowadays, people aren’t allowed on those fields anymore. I wonder if the abandoned house is still there.” Nostalgia continues to reign over internet culture, youth aesthetic and various digestible forms of media. From blockbuster remake after remake to the decontextualized Tumblr-regurgitation of fashion and advertising, the 21st century seems to be stuck in a make-believe world, hovering in limbo while rapidly making way for an undeterminable future. Teng is at heart the essence of present time. Her DIY aesthetic blends imaginary creatures and worlds with found imagery from friends, textbooks, advertisements and online shopping, to reference some of the purest moments in today’s society. Read our interview with @han_teng on far-near.media 🍓💗🎀 #taiwan #tengyunghan #tamsui #art #zine #asianart

Volume 4 out now 🖤 Preorders will be shipping out in the next couple weeks, thanks for your patience 🙆🏻

Two more weeks! Preorder #Vol4 now 💖📖💖📖💖 Link in bio

For @misoextra debut EP, director @sar_rahe created a video for the track “Great Taste,” featuring female artist @nayanaiz, a British-South Asian artist that merges her two cultures into her vocals. In Sarah’s own words, the video aims to be “a simplistic visual, playing on the beat and dreamy feel of the track, referencing the lyrical themes of duality with inspiration from the colours and tones in Wong Kar Wai’s films. The video cuts between two scenes in the intro, the peachy daylight scene and electric blue evening scene, we wanted the colour to reflect the feeling of eastern cities similar to the tones created so beautifully in Chungking Express.” Link in bio to read an interview between @luluyaogioiello and Miso Extra. #misoextra #musicvideo #nayanaiz #uk

It’s almost here!!! We are pleased to announce the release of FAR NEAR Volume 4 – #Guidance for May 15 2022! Preorder on www.far-near.media (link in bio) This edition of our annual printed book aims to recover the past, document the present as it stands, and try to make sense of the future. We are journeying, sometimes lost and without a clear purpose, learning about ourselves and each other along the way. Some of these stories are about triumphs and discoveries from decades earlier; they tell us where we’ve been to help us know where to go. Some are brief pauses in a point in time — pure yet fleeting moments of contemplation and emotion that connect and ground us, to make us realize that we are not just floating and accelerating here, alone. Some are offers of hope to the future, to a youthful point of view, celebrating those that will follow us, in time. Featured artists include filmmaker, theorist and professor #TrinhTMinhha, photographers #KikujiKawada, #HuYang, @leslieshang_, @karyphotobook1999, @ib.hasa.n, @vinceaung, @tirtharabinlawati, @brendangeorgeko, @tessayano, @boshirokov, @spicynatsuroll, artists #Zarina, @seulgikangx, @narublu, @sunnytc and writers @wheatfu, @matthewshengoodman, @aehee.lee, @charmainelee. We collaborated with Turkey-based non-profit @sirkhanedarkroom to create a photo story and tote bag fundraiser incorporating Syrian refugee childrens' photography and drawings (to be announced in May). @lastlizard808 offers us an improvisational piano score and @nope_sooope curates a selection of films for guidance. New merch, a tote fundraiser and possible in-person launch event to be announced closer to the release!