I’ve written about artist/animator Martin Hsu before, so I’m excited to write about his latest collection, The Legend of Naii, at Gallery 1988 in San Francisco.
The eight paintings are a tribute to his grandmother, whom he depicts as a goddess warrior defending her forest from demon pests.
Nai nai means grandma on the father’s side in Chinese. She was the center of our family and will always be my inspiration.
For as long as I can remember she’s always had silky white hair. She was also one of the last women in China who had their feet bound and survived the wars. She had eight kids even though one didn’t live pass the age of 4. She carries them on her back in the eight paintings in order to look after them.
I’m a huge fan of Martin’s work, since he always manages to successfully combine pop art, his culture and his strong, crazy imagination into fun yet thought evoking story. I only hope he’ll start illustrating children’s books sometime in the near future!
The show opens at Gallery 1988 on Friday, June 26th from 7:00-10:00pm. Check out the flier for more information after the jump.
