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 Words and phrases that speak to her intuitively are from out-of-date books, specifically encyclopedias and dictionaries.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.

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 art-making process is similar to an unearthing from the unconscious.”

Contact: jesianne.a@gmail.com

Instagram: jesiasagi

...........................................

exhibited:
Golden Afternoon, Vashon
KOBO Seattle (group and solo)
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