Mark Chai (born in Honolulu) is a Native Hawaiian sculptor who designs and handcrafts fine woods and

recycled Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

materials into modern lamps, sculpture, large installations and

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

."The Art of Recycling," http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912210315 His handcrafted modern lamps have been featured in ''Dwell'', the '' New Yorker,'' ''House Beautiful'', and ''Home'' magazines, as well as in ''

Wallpaper* ''Wallpaper'', stylized ''Wallpaper*'', is a publication focusing on design and architecture, fashion, travel, art, and lifestyle. The magazine was launched in London in 1996 by Canadian journalist Tyler Brûlé and Austrian journalist Alexander ...

'' magazine’s Honolulu City Guide,. His work is also seen in ''Travel & Leisure'', and ''Modern Luxury Hawaii'',. The New York Botanical Garden commissioned Chai's "Heliconia" monumental stainless steel sculpture as part of its Georgia O'Keeffe Hawaii retrospective in 2018. Three of Chai's sculptures are prominently displayed in the lobby of Disney's Aulani Hotel on Oahu''.'' ''Honolulu'' magazine named him one of Hawaii’s hottest designers. Three of his lamps were featured in the Honolulu Museum of Art’s 2016-17 year-long exhibit, “Hawaii in Design.” A dozen of his lamps appeared in the Hawaii season of the television show, “Real World.” Two of Chai's sculptures of recycled plastic were purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and displayed in the Hawaii State Art Museum. His custom wooden lamps light Chef Ed Kenney's restaurants town, Kaimuki Superette, and Mahina & Sun's, and Art After Dark at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Chai says his inspirations are childhood memories of the play of light and shadow in glowing camp fires on the beach, moonlight shining through the leaves of palm trees, and watching the precision of craftsmen building a wooden fence in Japan. He wanted to make lamps because, "I wanted to interact with the viewer. What better way than to turn something on?" His work has been described as "cutting edge hanging lamps of intricate interlocking pieces of cut and finished plywood. The effect is origami in thin air with distinctive Hawaii touches." The Culture Trip site listed him as a "giant" of the Hawaii art scene, "Mark Chai's naturalist style transforms everyday table lamps and wooden furniture into expressions of the organic world."“10 Emerging Contemporary Artists From Hawaii to Know” https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/hawaii/articles/10-emerging-contemporary-artists-from-hawaii-to-know/ He received his BFA from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in 1976

Footnotes

References

*"Kailua:Portrait of a Place," http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/April-2010/Kailua-Magazine-2010/Kailua-Portrait-of-a-Place/index.php *"Mark Chai...Extraordinary from the Ordinary" https://web.archive.org/web/20090304201618/http://www.hawaiibeachcombers.com/mark-chai.html *"One small step," ''Honolulu Weekly,'' May 9–15, 2001 *"Recycled material turned into lamps: Hawaii artist finds his muse in strange places," ''Honolulu Advertiser,'' September 12, 1999 *"Trash Turned Into Art: Recycle Art '99 shows there's value to be found in society's discards," ''Honolulu Advertiser,'' April 25, 1999

External links

*http://www.handcutmodern.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Chai, Mark Living people American artists of Chinese descent 21st-century American sculptors Artists from Honolulu Hawaii people of Chinese descent Year of birth missing (living people) People from Honolulu