Mission
Lantern of the East - Los Angeles is dedicated to:working with artists from Pacific Rim and other countries to achieve the broadest possible expression of their creative abilities expanding the Art Camp movement, locally and internationally, facilitating the interaction of professional artists with young people to bring to light the artistic potential of the next generation.
LELA is a distinctive arts organization, with its deep roots in the countries of the Pacific Rim and rich history of uniting visual artists in the production of exhibitions, workshops, performances and special events. A major aspect of the Lantern of the East tradition is the sponsorship of Art Camps which feature professional artists working with youth to transmit both the skills and the passion for the experience of artistic creation.
As we enter the 21st Century, and as the Asia-Pacific region gains in cultural as well as economic prominence, LELA has recently undertaken a restructuring of its organization with a view towards expanding its commitment to providing programs to serve its artist members and the broader communities.
LELA's mission will continue to emphasize the points of unity between East and West, drawing on strengths in both traditions, as it continues its productive work dedicated to the arts and art education.
History
Lantern of the East is an art movement initiated by four Asian artists, Lee Kye Song, Hideo Sakata, P. Khemraj, and Yoko Kamijyo, who became concerned about trends in the contemporary art world in the late 20th century.These artists viewed the art scene as becoming increasingly dominated by commercial forces and tending towards a mono-cultural, Western-oriented bias. This perception was reinforced when the NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1996 at their special exhibition of ' 20th century Great Artists' featured scant representation from Asia. The Lantern group believed that Eastern art, with a different sensibility derived from the distinctive religious and cultural traditions of the Asian region, needed to become a more active force in the contemporary visual art scene and that in doing so, would be a driving force in reshaping the world of contemporary visual art in the 21st century.
The Lantern of the East founders are motivated by the conviction that art can unite people in our troubled modern world across boundaries of race, faith and national borders, helping all of us to reconnect with our fundamental spiritual essence and to find an inner peace and happiness. In that spirit, the founders began, in 1996, an annual international art festival to communicate the spirit of Eastern art to the world.
The movement these Asian artists started became rooted in one of the Korean cities, Pyong Taek city. The city regularly hosts the Lantern of the East International Art Festival. The founders of Lantern of the East hope that more local cities in the world like Pyong Taek city join this movement and provide spaces to enjoy and appreciate non-Western contemporary art. APEX in L.A., which marked the 10th anniversary of the Lantern of the East International Art Festival, was the largest and most ambitious project in its history. It presented not only the spirit of Eastern art but also introduced the sensibility of Central and Latin American art.
Art Festivals
1st
May, 1996
Pyong Taek City Museum / Pyong Taek city / Republic of Korea
Participants: Republic of Korea 15, Japan 12, U.S.A. 12,
India 6, China 1 , Total 46 artists
2nd
November, 1996
Lalit Kala Akademi Ramindra Bhavan / New Delhi / India
Participants: Republic of Korea 26, U.S.A. 15, Japan 14,
India 10, China 1, Total 66 artists
3rd
May, 1997
Pyong Taek City Museum / Pyong Taek city / Republic of Korea
Participants: U.S.A. 19, Japan 17, Republic of Korea 16,
China 2, Total 54 artists
4th
December, 1997
Artcore Brewery Annex, Art Bank, and Transamerica /
Los Angeles / U.S.A.
Participants: U.S.A. 28, Japan 15, Republic of Korea 14,
China 6 , Thailand 4, Hong Kong 3, Taiwan 3, India 2,
Spain 1, Total 75 artists
5th
May, 1998
Pyong Taek City Museum / Pyong Taek city / Republic of Korea
Participants: Republic of Korea 19, U.S.A. 15, Japan 12,
India 7, Vietnam 3, Taiwan 3, China 2, Thailand 2, Hong
Kong 1, Peru 1, Spain 1 , Total 75 artists
6th
October 1998
Amyu Tachikawa, Lumine Tachikawa, Space N's and Art
room Shinkigen / Tachikawa city / Tokyo, Japan
Participants: Japan 20, U.S.A. 11, Republic of Korea 5,
Thailand 4, Taiwan 3, Hong Kong 1, India 1, Peru 1,
Australia 1, Canada 1, Germany 1, Palestine 1
Total 53 artists
7th
May, 1999
Pyong Taek City Museum / Pyoug Taek city / Republic of Korea
Participants: Republic of Korea 15, Japan 12, U.S.A. 11,
Hong Kong 1, Thailand 1, India 3, Total 43 artists
Korean Students 21, Total 64 artists
8th
May, 2000
Pyong Taek City Museum / Pyong Taek city / Republic of Korea
Participants: Republic of Korea 22, Japan 11, U.S.A. 10,
Total 43 artist Korean Students 16, Total 59 artists
9th
December, 2001
Pyong Taek City Art Center Museum / Pyong Taek city /
Republic of Korea
Participants: Republic of Korea 60, Japan 10, U.S.A. 8,
China 5, Total 83 artists
10th
October, 2002
Angels Gate Culture Center Gallery, Japanese American
Cultural Center George Doizaki Gallery, and Cal State Univ.,
Los Angeles Fine Art gallery / Los Angels / U.S.A.
Participants: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Japan, Republic of
Korea, Thailand, China (Hong Kong), Australia, France,
Germany, Netherlands, Italy, India, Nigeria, Peru, Malaysia,
Philippines, Vietnam, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica,
Lebanon, New Zealand, Indonesia, Argentine, and Nicaragua
About 126 artists
11th
May 2003, Pyong Taek, Korea
12th
May 2004, Pyong Taek, Korea
13th
December 2005, Pyong Taek, Korea
14th
January 2005, Bangkok, Thailand
15th
September 2006, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
16th
September 2007, Yerevan, Armenia
