Art Festival

OVERVIEW

Lantern of the East:
International Art Festival by Artist Professional Exchange (APEX)
West Gallery・Angels Gate Cultural Center・San Pedro, CA
Doizaki Gallery・Japanese American Cultural & Community Center・Los Angeles, CA
Track 1６Gallery・Bergamot Station・Santa Monica, CA
October 1-31, 2002

APEX is a Los Angeles-based artists network organization that gives annual workshops and exhibition of contemporary visual art around the world for the purpose of engaging dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. Its purpose is to seek a dynamic balance of linear and dualistic thinking with cyclical and whole awareness. Artistic participation with APEX is by invitation only.

The ongoing operations of APEX rely solely on private support from individuals, companies, and foundations. Its primary activities include:

Art Exhibitions: Celebrations of works by visiting and local artists that showcase common and diverse contemporary expressions for each other and the general public. Host sites for exhibitions rotate to different countries each year to highlight the richness of different cultures and to stimulate local economies. Begun in 1992.

Catalogues: Visual record and documentation of these aesthetic, cultural and personal exchanges between working artists.

Art Camp: A month-long living experience for visiting and local artists to share ideas and create works together. Initiated in 1995.

Public Programs: A series of discussions by the artists with the general public.

In October 2002, Los Angeles will serve as host for the second time to the Lantern of the East: International Art Festival. Now in its tenth year, this exhibition emerges from the collective participation and interaction of visual artists, writers, government officials, and citizens from around the world. With a past focus on the Pacific Rim, this year’s exhibition is expanded to include painters and sculptors from Europe and Latin America. Artists from 25 countries will participate, representing Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.

Prior to the month-long art festival at four local venues, the artists will live together in an “Art Camp” at the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, California. The purpose is to stimulate creativity in a collective spiritual effort. During this time, they will create works of art that will be offered for sale to provide funds for the Art Festival in October. Inquiries are welcomed and the public is invited to visit with prior notice.

Audience………..4,500 contemporary art aficionados (3 venues x 50 people/day x 30 days)
Admission………Free and open to the public

ORGANIZATIONAL VISION

Now is the beginning of the new millennium. Let us start today to heal the wounds of the last century. Now is the time to find the deep true wisdom within us all.

Look around us. What has happened to the world? The population is over 6 billion. Crime is rampant―it is accepted as a normal part of life. Immorality is spreading like a vast mold covering the globe. Criminal activity by minors has proliferated to a new level. Environmental pollution has reached a critical level. The gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is increasing even more. The decent citizens of this world do not trust their governments and have lost interest in social activism. Without involvement from concerned citizens, societies all over the world are crumbling from their foundations.

These and other such horrors are due to a lack of compassion in the human spirit. By concerning ourselves with only trivial matters in front of us, we leave behind piles of unresolved issues that persist today. Common sense tells us that to pursue profit and efficiency singularly will result in the loss of our humanity. And without deep changes in our way of thinking, common sense also tells us there is no solution.

Art is a way to change people’s minds. Art does not reward one with immediate profit, but art is one of the most important ways to enrich one’s heart. Money alone does not bring happiness. One can be poor and live a happy and satisfying life. In the past, people lived inconvenient and harsh lives. But they found happiness from the inside.

There are many races and cultures in this world―each with different opinions and views. But at the root, we are all the same at heart―our feelings, our wants, our dreams. The most important thing is to have our hearts come together and communicate as one. With this kind of heart, insufficiencies, poverty, and other problems can be carried by all of us.

As said before, art can support the human spirit. Please remember the story of the old dog and the boy of flounders.

Considering the last 400 years of history, it is clear that the world can benefit from wisdom of the East. Let us start our journey into the new millennium by replacing absolute efficiency with sensibility―replace Western ideals of “all or nothing” with Asian concepts of moderation.

Mankind exists in the cycle of this infinite universe. One must look beyond trendy ideas. Art exists only in the endless continuum of time so that an artist must not package shallow ideas in order to make a profit. An artist explores the nature of existence―finding its essence and reason―to share joy with fellow beings in mutual understanding of being.

The origins of the Artist Professionals Exchange or APEX were at the grassroots level. As an unknown organization, APEX received very little support. This, however, gave us freedom first, to explore-------

Gathering under the banner of the Lantern of the East. Crossing beyond the borders of the United States, Korea, Japan, India, China and 15 other countries. During October 2002, APEX will host the 10th annual presentation of The Lantern of the East featuring artists from 25 countries. In September 2002, it will hold its 7th Annual Art Camp. It is said that strength comes form continuity. We feel this in our hearts to be true. We are gaining recognition and support every day, which fuels our determination and commitment. We would like the general public to be touched by art, to experience the beauty of art, and to be inspired by art. Today, we must learn to live in harmony and exist in conformity with the nature of existence, the essence of the universe and God as we know him or her.

>>APEX in LA Event Schedule
>>Art Festival Photo Album