Jay Yao Sold at Auction Prices

Jay Yao (b.1980)

Jay Yao (b.1980) “Untitled 12 (Mr. Occam’s razor could possibly cut both ways)” Work from the series: “The Low Hum of a Drone” :Constant and continuous exploration of aesthetics has allowed photographer Jay Yao to utilize different platforms and machinery to be able to obtain scenic shots acknowledging the onset of of 21st century media. The concept was first realized in an immediate product of an abstract geographical shot, the artist often differentiates from the idea of a painting wherein the produce is gradually evolving. This immediacy of form allowed the artist to compare it to his experiences online, the instant communication, the faster capturing of images/stories, the rampant sharing of ideas overtly changing interpretation overtime, hence it becoming more candid, unrehearsed yet holding a multitude of meanings, abstracted as he would call it. This experience in the collective mind space affects the viewer inasmuch as in feelings of both anxiety or calmness and sympathy or apathy. The low hum of a drone is metaphorically a silent observer, a medium the artist chose to shoot an entirety of bodied scapes, which he likens to vast world of the internet. The artist’s eyes hover as the drone continuously speculates, picking up images he finds most profound. Biography: Jose Campos III “Jay Yao” (b. 1980, Vancouver, BC, Canada) is an artist who lives and works in Manila. He had his thesis photography exhibit on Canadian-Asian identity at Hampshire College then moved to New York after college to further his skills as an artist focusing mainly in photography. He is a member of the Camera Club Philippines and is also an alumnus of Columbia University. He had numerous solo exhibitions at Hiraya Gallery (Manila), Silverlens (Manila), Tixe Artspace (New York), Manifesto Gallerie (Manila), and quite recently in Artinformal (Manila). Yao was short-listed for the Ateneo Art Awards (2014) for his Homecoming series, represented the Philippines for the Goethe-Institut project Art Connexions: SYD - MLA – KUL (2005) and was an artist-in-residence of Sherman Galleries with Art Connexions in Australia (2005). In 2015, to raise funds and awareness for Teach for the Philippines, Yao, Celestina, and B+C collaborated to do a pop-up show selling functional art for charity. His group exhibitions include New Natives, Lightbombs, Hong Kong; Art Connexions: SYD - MLA – KUL, Australian Center of Photography, Sydney; and recently in Pablo Galleries, Manila. References: Element Art Space. (n.d.). Jay Yao. Retrieved from: http://elementartspace.com/index.php/artist/detail/317 2017 aluminum dibond 20” x 30” (51 cm x 76 cm)