Works by Artists Chu, Frazer and Simpson @ Art Barn's Finch Lane Gallery (SLC: Augut 19 - Sept 30)

Works by Artists Chu, Frazer and Simpson
Featured at Finch Lane Gallery

An alternative photography exhibit by Van Chu and a mixed media installation by Jim
Frazer and Suzanne Simpson will be presented in the Art Barn’s Finch Lane Gallery, with the gallery stroll reception scheduled on Friday, August 19, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The shows will also be open for the September 16 Gallery Stroll, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., and concludes on September 30. In addition to the installation, a performance art piece will be presented in two parts, the first beginning at the August 19 opening reception with the conclusion to follow at the September 16 Gallery Stroll.

Van Chu is a Vietnamese
artist who came to the
United States in 2001. He
will exhibit his latest body
of work further exploring
the concept of combining
photography and painting.
Describing his pursuit of
alternative photography,
he says, “In the past 3
years I have been trying
to extend the boundaries long associated with the photography medium. By introducing
acrylics, ink and water to the process, my photographic artworks now carry the essence
of traditional Chinese painting, one of the oldest continuous art practices, with a breath
of fresh air from the technological advances of the twenty-first century.”
Chu adds, “To me, a photograph is an image created with the purpose of transforming
something ordinary into something extraordinary involving a camera somewhere in the
process. My works then are photography at heart as I only wish to capture a mundane
moment and turn it into something larger than itself, a drop of paint quickly dissolved in
water becomes a dragon, a landscape in the sky, a war torn area filled with burning trees
and mushroom clouds, an intersection between you and me.”
Chu has exhibited his work nationwide, including California, North Dakota, New York,
Illinois, Maryland and Utah. Recently, he was the recipient of awards from the Viridian
Artists Contemporary Gallery in NYC and for his work exhibited in the 10th Annual
Van Chu, Dragons, archival pigment print, 2010Van Chu, Dragons, archival pigment print, 2011 International Photography Competition, Fraser Gallery (MD). From the University of Utah he earned a BFA in 2007 and an MFA in 2010. He is represented by A Gallery in Salt Lake City and maintains a website at www.vanchuART.com.

A mixed media installation, titled Grasp-
ing the Ephemeral, by artists and long-time
friends Jim Frazer and Suzanne Simpson
will be featured in the West Gallery. In
their artists statement, they describe this
work as “a collaborative, mixed media
and large scale durational performance,
employing students, technicians and other
artisans. A joint background in photog-
raphy/digital imaging facilitates design,
model making, fine art. In seeking to break
object-oriented work, investigation of
dance, sound, light, viewer interaction,
installation, video and sets which evolve
are pursued. In paying tribute to ideals of
generosity and abundance, stipends, meals
and symbolic tokens are shared. Current
work addresses environmental degrada-
tion, transformation and recognition of
life’s ethereal fragility.” In addition to the
installation, a performance art piece will
be presented at the August 19 opening
reception.

Frazer and Simpson have combined their talents to create exhibit installations at
Westminster College, and TRASA Gallery, among others. Both have individually exhibited
widely in venues throughout the U.S. Frazer earned his MVA with an emphasis in Photog-
raphy from Georgia State University (1973) and has taught at Georgia State and at
Mercer University in Atlanta. Simpson received an MLA in Urban Design from the
University of Michigan (1984) and has been a recipient of an NEA Regional Fellowship
and multiple Utah Arts Council Individual Artist Awards. She currently teaches at Weber State University and Westminster College.