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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 04 May 2009 12:08 |
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30 Faces for 30 Years: The Zhou Brothers
“When we came to this country with only two suitcases, a few paintings and thirty dollars cash, we had nothing but our dreams and fantasies of stepping onto a bigger stage. CASL helped us realize our dream. If it were not CASL, we probably would not have settled in Chicago. For this, we are forever appreciative of CASL.”
Shan Zuo Zhou, 57, and Dan Haung Zhou, 52, artists, founder of Zhou Brothers Art Foundation.
Zhou brothers, one of the most celebrated and accomplished artists in the contemporary art scene, are renowned for their richly interwoven abstract paintings that chronicled a never-ending quest from the East to the West. While their mission to connect both ends through figurative calligraphic techniques is much appreciated, little is known that they came to this country only by invitation. If it were not CASL’s timely support, they probably would have settled down somewhere else than in this Windy city, a place where they regard home now.
It was back in 1986 that East-West Contemporary Art Gallery invited the Zhou Brothers to stage an exhibition in Chicago. Growing up in a poor Chinese village in the country’s southeastern region, Zhou brothers’ unique way of collaboration had already touched the hearts and souls of many local audience and critiques alike. Bathing in fame and glamour, Zhou brothers were confident that they would be able to reach out to the world. However, they did not expect that after accepting and making this trip to the United States, everything had to be started from scratch all over again. Zhou brothers were surprised to find out that compared to the national reputation they enjoyed at home, audience in the U.S. knew nothing about their work. Moreover, their English was poor, money was few, windy city seemed alienating and indifferent to their presence. Not only were Zhou brothers left with a seemingly unreachable vision, they had to face a looming reality check: would they even be able to stay in the country legally while their temporary visas were soon to be expired?
Time was running out. It was with “all the fortune they could ever imagined” that Bernarda Wong, CASL’s Executive Director at the time, stepped in and pulled together new visa applications in a timely fashion. CASL did more than that for the two aspiring artists- it became the only Chinese connection they could relate to at the time. The Zhou brothers no longer felt distressed by the reality. The sense of settlement became the solid foundation of their artistic inspiration, and the reason why they felt forever grateful of CASL. It was “CASL’s special connection to bring two worlds together” in which their dream of Chicago was finally protected, and nourished.
The visa had officially marked a brand new beginning of Zhou brothers’ American Dream. From then on, Zhou brothers’ unique dialogue presented in the art and in the brotherhood spirit soon became a legend in itself. They have received some of the most prestigious fine art awards in the past three decades. They also held guest professorships in many countries worldwide. While actively exhibiting their works nationally and abroad, Zhou brothers maintain their home base in Chicago. Home is where the heart is, and for the Zhou brothers, CASL helped brought Chicago forever dear to their hearts.
For Zhou brothers and many others, there’s no place like CASL. “CASL has done so much for the Chinese community,” Zhou brothers say. “We always do whatever we could to support CASL.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 May 2009 14:49 )
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Client Stories
“I cannot imagine what a first-time immigrant mom like me could do when she knows nothing about the schools, healthcare and other basic systems of the country if it was not with the help of a good support network. For this, I thank CASL. They enabled me to transform from a helpless mother to someone who can educate other parents in return. ”
Xi Lin, 44, FALREC |
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Client Stories
