Tishan Hsu (born 1951) is an American

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

ist based in New York. Hsu's practice examines the "embodiment of technology," or technology's impact on phenomenology and affect. Hsu's works span across painting, sculpture, drawing, and computer-generated media and often incorporate unusual materials such as digital media, silicone, and Styrofoam. Recently, after his mother's death in 2013, Hsu's works have turned towards the relationship between technology and race, history, and heritage. From 1994-2018, Hsu was Professor of Visual Arts at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, as well as a Visiting Professor at Pratt Institute and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Hsu has served as a Member of the Board of

White Columns White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit art space. White Columns is known as a showcase for up-and-coming artists, and is primarily devoted to emerging artists who are not affiliated with galleries. All work submitted is ...

and a Governor of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Hsu spent his early years in Zurich, Switzerland, and then grew up in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and New York. Hsu studied Environmental Design and Architecture at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, where he received his B.S.A.D. in 1973 and M.Arch. in 1975. During his time at MIT, he studied film at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University. He moved to New York in 1979, where he quickly became a part of the East Village scene at the time. He had his first show in New York at Pat Hearn Gallery in 1985, followed by a show in 1987 at

Leo Castelli Gallery Leo Castelli (born Leo Krausz; September 4, 1907 – August 21, 1999) was an Italian-American art dealer who originated the contemporary art gallery system. His gallery showcased contemporary art for five decades. Among the movements which ...

. In the spring of 1988, Hsu left for

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, where he stayed for two years. Upon his return to New York in 1990, Hsu began teaching at Sarah Lawrence College.

Exhibitions (selections)

Hsu has exhibited extensively in the United States and Europe. Solo exhibitions of Hsu's works have been staged at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2020); Empty Gallery, Hong Kong (2019); and TheAnnex, New York (2002), among others. He has also participated in group exhibitions at

Miguel Abreu Gallery Miguel Abreu Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with two locations in New York City. History Miguel Abreu Gallery opened its first space at 36 Orchard Street in 2006 in the Lower East Side of New York City. A second 8,000 square foot space ...

, New York (2019);

K11 Art Foundation The K11 Art Foundation (KAF) is a non-profit art foundation based in Central, Hong Kong, named for an eponymous shopping centre and established by the shopping centre's operator. It supports the development of Chinese contemporary art from Greate ...

, Hong Kong (2019); The Hirschhorn Museum, D.C. (2018); Hessel Museum of Art, CSS Bard, New York (2018);

Neues Museum The Neues Museum (English: ''New Museum'') is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1843 to 1855 by order of King Frederick William IV of Prussia in Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival styles, ...

, Nuremberg (2002);

the Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

, D.C. (1991); and Institute of Contemporary Art & The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (1988).

Collections

Hsu's works are held in major public collections, including

The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York;

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

, Paris; Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt am Main;

High Museum The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

, Atlanta;

Terra Museum The Terra Museum of American Art was an art museum founded by Chicago businessman Daniel J. Terra in Evanston, Illinois in 1980. The museum was relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1987. During its tenure, the museum presented more than 200 exhibi ...

, Mexico City;

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

, Los Angeles;

, North Miami; The Rubell Family Collection, Miami; and the

Weisman Art Museum The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is an art museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1934 as University Gallery, the museum was originally housed in an upper floor of the university's Northrop Auditorium. In 19 ...

, Minneapolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hsu, Tishan 1961 births Living people American contemporary artists MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni