about

Jesianne Asagi works primarily with paper and found objects. Text plays an important role in her pieces. Words and phrases that speak to her intuitively are from out-of-date books, specifically encyclopedias and dictionaries. Collages, assemblages, and paper sculpture are her love letters to the natural world.

Mono no aware 物の哀れ, is Japanese for "sensitivity/transience of things,” also inspires her. Fleeting moments, how nothing lasts/stays the same, what is lost in the gaps, what is left unsaid, openings, and lacunas - these ideas also inform her work. Similar to deciphering hieroglyphs, Jesi wants to discover another language, as if artifacts from a different time have been uncovered.

The work is also influenced by the lineage of women who came before her, who “made-do", doing their best with what they had. There is great appreciation for their resourcefulness. Whenever possible, she works with materials that are used and foraged, and giving them a second (third, fourth, etc) life. It is her hope that her pieces will eventually disintegrate and not leave any trace of their existence.

Re: paper sculptures:
I work with paper for its fragility and versatility. Left blank (mostly) and hollow -- not from neglect or loss -- but a story yet to unfold. A being defining themselves, on their own terms, open and awake for what awaits them.

The repetition of wrapping, coiling the paper to create these shapes is a meditative practice. I am always surprised how the slightest adjustment, a mere millimeter, changes the form and narrative. I have referred to these shapes as horns, cones, shells, shapes, bodies, but they are beings to me.

Biography:

Jesianne Asagi was born and raised in Honolulu. She now lives in Seattle, WA where she is a graphic designer and collage artist. “My process is similar to an unearthing from the unconscious.”

Devotion: Anselm Kiefer, Agnes Martin, Lenore Tawney

Contact: jesianne.a@gmail.com

Instagram: jesiasagi

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exhibited:
KOBO Seattle,
Wabash Project, Mount Vernon
Golden Afternoon, Vashon
KOBO Seattle
ArtInTime, fishcake gallery, Honolulu (group)
studio e vatican window, Seattle (installation)
Methodologie, Seattle (group)
Curtis Steiner, Seattle (solo and two group)
Art at Mark's Garage, Honolulu (group)
University House, Seattle (group)
Stronghold, Pomona CA (installation)

book cover art:
"Asian and Pacific Islander American Women: An Historical Anthology", Shirley Hune and Gail Nomura, NYU Press, 2005.

commissioned:
Biernat-Webster Family, Brooklyn
Black Bottle, Seattle
Schlott Family, Seattle
Blank Family, Chicago