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Contact: Esther Wu | 214-271-4484
Photos: available upon request
Interviews with: collectors, curator, scholars available

Something very old and something very new are coming to the Crow Collection of Asian Art.

The final installments of Texas Collects Asia open at the Crow Collection of Asian Art Oct. 18.

This last celebration combines two exhibitions: Texas Collects Asia: Japanese Folk Art and Texas Collects Asia: Contemporary Art.

Together, the exhibitions compliment a harmonious blend of old and new in the art continuum. So it is fitting that while each marks the end of a year-long series, it is also signals the beginning of a new season of the Crow Collection's continuing goal of bringing Eastern art to Western hearts.

Texas Collects Asia: Japanese Folk Art explores an age old adage: form over function. This exhibition pays homage to Japan's renowned folk craft tradition by showcasing an impressive array of religious sculptures, paintings and children's toys as well as Mingei ceramics, panels, as well as other hand-made goods for everyday use and enjoyment.

"The exhibition also includes a notable group of playful Daruma figures," said Shiyuan Yuan, curator at the Crow Collection of Asian Art.

"Traditionally, these round, often hollow dolls have no legs or arms. Originally modeled after Daruma, a Buddhist monk credited with bringing Buddhism to Japan, they are still popular in Japan today and are often given as "wish dolls."

Texas Collects Asia: Contemporary Art is a final, forward-thinking exhibition that showcases Asia as the future, examining the explosive trends found in prints, paintings, photographs, and sculpture of some of the most cutting-edge artists from China, Japan and Vietnam.

The works in this installation reflect the cultural changes in Asia today.

"While modifying traditional styles and employing new media, many artists strive to sustain and convey the continuing need for contemplation and simplicity as a counterbalance to the frenetic lifestyle resulting from modernization and globalization," explains exhibition co-curator Pamela Bailey. "The new Asia is preoccupied with growth and progress; however, traditional elements of its deeply ingrained history remain intact.”

A good example of this contemporary style is Ling Jian’s painting, Communism Sister: I Never Forgot This Day (2006), from the collection of Jan Keeton Yeung and Ka Yeung in Dallas, is a haunting reminder of the political, social and cultural barriers that once existed between East and West.

Texas Collects Asia is a year-long series of five exhibitions that pays homage to the collectors across the Lone Star State.

Museum curators and staff members logged more than 16,000 miles to visit collectors, libraries, museums, and private homes across the state to gather artwork for this exhibition. The five exhibitions, including 40 collections and involving 18 gifted scholars, is the largest of its kind.

For the first time in its history, the Crow Collection independently organized this broad exhibition, which honors the legacy of private collectors like Margaret and Trammell Crow, who love Asia and have shared that passion with Texas.

BACKGROUND:

Texas Collects Asia: Japanese Folk Art and Texas Collects Asia: Contemporary Art is the last of five installments of the yearlong exhibition that was chosen by the Crow Collection staff from 18 of the most prestigious public and private collections across Texas.

COLLECTIONS REPRESENTED ARE FROM:

Texas Collects Asia: Japanese Folk Art is curated by Stephen Addiss, Professor of Art and Tucker-Boatwright Professor in the Humanities at the University of Richmond; Audrey Yoshiko Seo, independent scholar; Donald A. Wood, The Virginia and William M. Spencer III Curator of Asian Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art; and Shiyuan Yuan, Curator/Collection Manager of The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art.

Texas Collects Asia: Contemporary Art is curated by Pamela Bailey, independent scholar, and Shiyuan Yuan, Curator/Collection Manager of The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art.

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