News & Event

Auspicious month and weekend at the WAH Center

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Bien Recieves grant 96Atmos crowd 72

 Left: “Atmospheric Pressure” reception Right Bienvenido Banez receives grant from Yuko Nii

The last month was especially rewarding for the WAH Center as well as it’s artists and supporters. After a superb exhibit of young Japanese artists that included a dynamic performance production, Yuko Nii received the Pratt Institute Community Achievement Award at the prestigious University Club in Manhattan in recognition for her work in developing the WAH Center and making it an effective community institution that has received local regional and international recognition.

Meanwhile the WAH Center’s own Brittany Natale was working vigorously on selecting artists for a major exhibit she was preparing for at the WAH Center in April. Brittany’s exhibit, which debuted last Friday, is called Atmospheric Pressure, a young artists collection. The artists were mostly from the Bushwick artists’ colony that has superseded Williamsburg as the new center of emerging artists in Brooklyn. The reception was thronged as you can see in the photo. We were delighted to make the connection to that energetic neighborhood. We were astounded at the quality of the art and were delighted that many pieces sold. The Yuko Nii Foundation also acquired some pieces. This was Brittany’s first attempt at curating after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. The excellence of the exhibit suggest that she has a great future in the arts.

Meanwhile the Yuko Nii Foundation gave out its first grant since being founded a couple of years ago. The awardee was Bienvenido Bones Banez, a WAH Center artist who is well represented in the YNF Collections. Yuko in giving the award stated “Your art derives fresh new hermeneutical understandings in axiological philosophy as viewed through humanity’s struggle of “being and becoming.”

At the same time, Bien presented the YNF with a major painting that he had done in 1984 based on his 666 world view philosophy. The gift was a joint gift from himself and Prof. Aida Rivera Ford of Ford Academy of the Arts/Philippines Women’s College’s Davao City where the painting had been kept until recently.

Yuko also told Bien “We appreciate your most generous donation of your numerous works to the Yuko Nii Foundation’s permanent collection, and some day we hope to have a special on-going exhibition that show your various stages in the development of your vision.”

Terrance Lindall, a proponent of hermeneutical surrealism, said after seeing Bien’s masterpiece, “This is one of the greatest paintings I have seen in my lifetime. I believe Bien ranks as one of the foremost surrealists living or dead and his achhievements will stand alongside all great artists down through history.”

Below: Bien’s great work
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