FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Exhibition by Regional Asian American Artists Opens Oct. 8 at Nelson-Atkins

Found in Translation: Explorations by 8 Contemporary Artists Examines Complex Topics

Kansas City, MO. Sept. 8, 2022–An exhibition of new work by first-generation Asian American artists residing in and near the Greater Kansas City area opens Oct. 8 and runs through Aug. 20 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Found in Translation: Explorations by 8 Contemporary Artists reveals the richness and nuance that can be discovered through the process of change and transformation as the artists convert ideas and questions into art.

“Found in Translation is informed by the artists’ individual experiences with immigration and their varied personal narratives in traveling from their home countries to Kansas City, but it is also about so much more,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins. “It reflects their perspectives on the world and is expressed through a wide range of styles and media.”

Found in Translatioon is co-curated by Ling-en Lu, PhD, Curator, Chinese art, and Stephanie Fox Knappe, PhD, Samuel Sosland Senior Curator of American Art.

“The eight artists in this exhibition use their practices to explore evolving questions about subjects such as place, memory, and relationships,” said Lu. “Their choice of materials and techniques reflect the process by which they work through those questions.”

“We often hear of the risk of losing meaning in translation,” said Fox Knappe. “But the work of these skillful visual artists reveals the subtlety and richness that can be discovered, or found, in that translation of making the complex and abstract tangible.”

The quest to discover artists for this exhibition began in 2021, when Lu and Knappe began to interview candidates who came to their attention. The chosen artists are established and in roughly mid-career, all of them ambitious, enthusiastic, and eager to have their work in dialogue with the historic Asian collection at the Nelson-Atkins. Their work is extremely diverse, including printmaking, photography, ink drawing, and ceramics. All were willing to create work for this exhibition.

Found in Translation is the second exhibition in the Nelson-Atkins initiative KC Art Now, which celebrates the talent of local artists.

The following artists are featured in Found in Translation:

• Heinrich Toh (b. Singapore)
• Hong Chun Zhang (b. Shenyang, China)
• Hye Young Shin (b. South Korea)
• Kathy Liao (Taiwanese American)
• Noriko Ebersole (b. Gumma Prefecture, Japan)
• Priya Suresh Kambli (b. Mumbai, India)
• Shreepad Narayan Joglekar (b. Mumbai, India)
• Yoonmi Nam (b. Seoul, South Korea)

The following events and programs will be held in conjunction with this exhibition. Check the museum website www.nelson-atkins.org as more programs are added.

Lectures and Talks 

Artists in Conversation: Memory
Saturday, November 12, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Atkins Auditorium
Tickets required: $8 non-members, $5 members

Family programs and festivals

Activity stations will highlight the exhibition:

Lunar New Year Festival
Sunday, January 29, 2023

Passport to India Festival
Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Generous support provided by Linda Woodsmall DeBruce and Paul DeBruce, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Image credit: Beth Byers

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The museum opens its doors free of charge to people of all backgrounds.

The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access to its renowned collection of more than 42,000 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, and Native American and Egyptian galleries. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. In 2017, the Nelson-Atkins celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Bloch Building, a critically acclaimed addition to the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building.

The Nelson-Atkins is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO. Hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday through Monday; 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Thursday; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Admission to the museum is free to everyone. For museum information, phone 816.751.1ART (1278) or visit nelson-atkins.org.

For media interested in receiving further information, please contact:

Kathleen Leighton, Manager, Media Relations and Video Production
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
816.751.1321
kleighton@nelson-atkins.org