About Asia Team
"Live Positively" Special edition
Now we're facing a big challenge which we never experienced before
– it's a hard time and nobody know how long this will last for…
Musicians are using their talent to comfort the public,
millions watched Andrea Bocelli sung in the empty Milan cathedral.
This home concert raises a total of 127 million dollars for coronavirus relief.
Music can heal, and so can art!
This is a special edition of Asia Team Magazine titled “Live Positively”.
It contains a collection of Illustrations, paintings and photography by many of our talented Asia Team artists. Our goals in this edition is to connect, inspire and empower positive thinking – especially during the very difficult time of this global pandemic.
We hope that the artworks in this issue gives you a sense of the creators’ positive message and inspires you to stay positive with the beauty in their Arts. Perhaps, we can all begin by taking small steps towards creating a positive lifestyle – just like each beautiful stroke, lines and pixels that form a piece of beautiful artwork.
If you’re going through a rough time, we hope that this issue offers you a little lift and helps you remember that beauty can be found in the little things you do today. Please remember to stay positive! Give love and hope –carry the beauty and positive messages of this magazine to the ones you care about – family, friends, partner or even a stranger that needs a little sunshine and positive message in their lives during this hard time.
Stay Healthy & Stay Positive!
Kittens, kittens,
bring us good health and good fortune!
Contemporary Traditional paintings
Ink on rice paper
Anita Yan Wong, San Francisco, California
I'm not sure if my upcoming solo cat art show will still open in California 2020
because of corona virus outbreak,
but I want to continue painting a lot of Cats for good fortune and good vibes
during this very difficult time.
Kittens Kittens! Bring us good health and good fortune.
Anita Yan Wong (Asia Team Behance Founder)
BIRD BIRD MOON
Tsunemasa Takahashi,Yokohama, Japan
I am over 70 years old.
The situation in this world right now is very difficult.
But young people can certainly overcome it.
The painting can be amazing even with pencil and paper in the room.
Work with your true heart.
It is important to continue a little bit every day.
I can do it for the elderly as well.
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soso - 草々
Japanese Painting 日本画 183×368cm
Masamune Kikuchi, Nara, Japan
菊地将宗 - 日本、奈良
Sparrows chase through the trees and play. Fun time.
木々の間を追っかけ合い遊ぶ雀たち。楽しい時間。
2019
Faint Light 寂光
Japanese Painting 日本画 130×192cm
Masamune Kikuchi, Nara, Japan
菊地将宗 - 日本、奈良
Be enveloped in the light that gently pours.
優しくふり注ぐ光に包まれて。
2019
Sound 音
Japanese Painting 日本画 130×162cm
Masamune Kikuchi, Nara, Japan
菊地将宗 - 日本、奈良
I wanted to draw the sound of plants swaying by the wind,
the sound of flying bird wings, and the sounds heard.
風で揺れる草木の音、飛び立つ鳥の羽の音、音が聞こえる絵を描きたかった。
2018
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Balthus in 2020
59 x 69 cm, water color paper 2020
Xiaofei Yue, Beijing, China
The painting is a homage to the masterpiece "Girl" by Balthus,
only this time the girl is wearing a mask in light of the Corona Virus.
It reminds us the ephemerality of life
and makes us to accept the imperfection of the world.
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Blue Bird Series - The Light
Watercolor Painting
Yidan Guo, Idaho, U.S.A.
This is a watercolor painting I created in March 2020 in reflection
on this worldwide pandemic COVID-19.
The blue bird is a symbol of positive energy,
also represents the nature around us;
the young monk appears as a power of peace and prayer;
the light held by the child indicates the hope and a bright future
for human beings.
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With a clear mind
Illustration
Kano Nakajima, Tokyo, Japan
I hope that the expressions on the faces of the people I painted
always have a strong heart in them.
In our daily life, we have wavered and suffered
In our daily life, we have wavered and suffered
in all kinds of things.
Let's get rid of the things that hold us back and go forward.
May the gazes of the people I painted here
Let's get rid of the things that hold us back and go forward.
May the gazes of the people I painted here
to be able to snuggle up to you as much as possible.
May you and I go through tomorrow with a clear mind.
私が描く人物の表情には、
May you and I go through tomorrow with a clear mind.
私が描く人物の表情には、
いつも強い心が宿っていたらいいな、と思っています。
私たちは日々の生活の中で、
私たちは日々の生活の中で、
あらゆることに迷い、苦しんでいます。
そうして私たちを縛り付けるものを、
そうして私たちを縛り付けるものを、
はねのけて前に進みましょう。
ここに描かれている人々のまなざしが、
ここに描かれている人々のまなざしが、
少しでもあなたに寄り添うことができますように。
私もあなたも、澄み切った気持ちで明日を過ごせますように。
私もあなたも、澄み切った気持ちで明日を過ごせますように。
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Lina Kusaite, Brussels, Belgium
Every time when I feel down or lost, or in difficult place in my life,
I turn to nature, via walking, working with nature and of course - drawing her.
In nature I find endless source of wisdom, beauty,
creativity and it is the best place for inspiration for all things magical.
By drawing different parts of nature I research about it
and find enormous source of information
how not only nature works but as well as we - humans.
It helps me to understand different processes and inter-dependency
between all that is alive
Therefore projects or works I chose to share are the once
that have a lot of nature and imagination.
Some of them have deeper meaning then others,
some works are just moments caught in my dreams or thoughts.
Some, are just decorative tasks for the client.
Magical World of Nature
Drawing for the mural that represents
the magical world of nature mixed of plants,
insects and other living creatures.
Lotus
Visual representation of client’s activities for her website.
It is based on her cultural background and symbolism of the Lotus flower.
Alternatives
Following images are from a bigger project that I worked on in 2016.
I created a sequence of visuals that represented the transformation
of human/nature relationships from history
to the present moment and into a vision for the future.
Through creating this art work, I explored different ideas about the limitation of human perception,
about self-reflection in our relationship and behavior towards nature,
each other and in the end – ourselves.
What would become possible if we would drop the concept of a human
as a singular individual form and experiencing ourselves as a part of,
or a particle within, larger organisms; an integral part of collective or social life,
or maybe even energy that is an inseparable part of the universe?
I wanted to show how similar we are,
how the same we are and how all of us belong to one magical body – the universe.
Below works are focused on fantasy,
imagination and creation worlds.
The ability to create and imagine gives the power to see solutions and possibilities
rather then problems in any given time and place.
It empowers people and gives them freedom to be who
they want to be and create life they dream of.
Saving The Polar Bear
In this drawing i combine a portrait of Polar Bear as a symbol of melting icecaps,
climate change and struggling species to survive. And 3 funny animals,
that accompany or protect the Bear.
These 3 characters are inspired and based on children's drawings
form Windroos school in Brussels, Belgium.
Jojpa, Konypoeki and Kokikat
are the symbols of powerful children's imagination,
that can protects, change and heal our environment and ourselves.
What the world would look like,
if we would celebrate and nourish children's imagination and their dreams?
By creating the space for children's imagination to develop it freely,
By creating the space for children's imagination to develop it freely,
by encouraging and supporting the most vivid
and bizarre fantasies of our youngest generations,
by simply letting them be,
we would open up the space and opportunities to heal our dis-balanced societies,
struggling environment and minds that constantly rushing forward.
Already in the young age (7 year old) children tend
to limit their imagination and fantasies, in what is possible or allowed.
That, i believe, directly influence children's choices
and how they will live their lives in the future.
Most of the children already in that age have difficulties
to allow themselves simply to create on paper literally anything they wish.
How cat can be bigger then a house,
how can we draw a castle in the garden,
or carrots growing on the moon?
What is possible beyond our daily realities
and how can we step into that power of endless creation?
The basic principals of present education
and the realities of daily lives in homes,
sometimes seems as a main cause of diminishing kids
imagination and dreams.
Rabbits & Fishes
From time to time the images passing by in my dreams.
I capture them while being curious and anxious
and i make a decision to grow them on paper.
And this one grew into some kind of trip to carp land,
to rabbit playground and to the place where all colors join.
Story about Color Ghost
Color Ghost and the Rabbit are two characters
who grew out of my daydreaming.
I just totally got in love with them...
and the story grew out of it.
And this story don't have a text...
and it is still in progress that i determined
to make it in to a little sweet book:)
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Weber Zhang, Shanghai, China
疫情之前也是一个人工作学习，
因此在日常状态上变化不大。
业务更加趋向于本土化和区域化，
在沟通习惯和耐心上提出新要求，仍在适应中。
这次疫情中，个人价值及尊严以群体意志的形式凸显出来，
不得不令人思考自由的边界或者重新定义自由。
另外由于失业或学校停课及错峰上下班，
个人的可自由安排的时间增加了。
但多数人还是按照大家的、别人的方式生活，
却饱含归属感安全感，
个人选择可能败给了算法和大数据的安排。
I offen study and work alone even before the epidemic,
so there was nothing change in daily status.
My business tends to be more localized and regional,
and new requirements on communication habits and patience
are still being adapted.
In this outbreak,
In this outbreak,
individual values and dignity have come to the forefront
in the form of collective will,
forcing people to think about the boundaries of freedom or redefine freedom.
Additional discretionary time for individuals has increased
as a result of unemployment or school closures and missed commutes.
But most people still live their lives as everyone else does,
but they feel a sense of belonging,
and their personal choices may be outweighed
by algorithms and big data.
Walking with Mothernature
Weber Zhang, Shanghai, China
"与自然同行”呈现了个人对生态环境的两面看法：
自然之母代表了生物演化线，人处在演化的前端，
人身后是濒危物种，作品有警示的一面。
另外，
作品中呈现积极的一面，
在于每个物种都是孩子都不成熟，
他们相互关联不可分，
其中也穿插了植物和大气。
希望呈现出充满生机的一条路。
"Walking with Mothernature"
presents two aspects of my view of the ecological environment:
the mother nature represents the line of biological evolution,
with humans ahead of evolution and endangered species behind.
The work has a warning side.I
n addition,
the positive side of the work lies in the fact
that each species is an immature child
and they are inseparable from each other,
which is also interspersed with plants and atmosphere.Hope presents a path full of life.
A reason or a lesson
Weber Zhang, Shanghai, China
东方经常将人和世界合起来看。
由于与自身相连，没有绝对的坏事，
要么给我教训，要么给我经验。
即便从演化上看，我们也是赢家的后代。
From the Oriental's point of view,
people and the world always together as a union.
Being connected with oneself,
there is no absolutely bad thing,
which either teaches me a lesson or teaches me an experience.
Even evolutionarily speaking,
we are descendants of winners.
Chain reaction
Weber Zhang, Shanghai, China
虽然各有差异，但是不会风景独好。
我们都在链上，我们的趋势是一体。
We are all in the chain
and our trends are one,
although different,
but not the scenery alone.
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Corona
Nadiia Doicheva, Kyiv, Ukraine
Without wasting time in quarantine,
I decided to portray my experiences,
fears and thoughts about the main theme of our present.
I suppose these thoughts and fears are shared by most people.
I suppose these thoughts and fears are shared by most people.
Working on this topic has had a positive therapeutic effect on me.
The beginning … When it was especially scary
I feel sorry for these lovely creatures. They put the blame on them …
And I feel sorry for these creatures too … Where could they both meet?
My unsuccessful attempts to buy a stylish mask
and gloves so that I can stroll in beautiful blouses during quarantine :)
Love yourself is the only possible quarantined love for many people.
This is an ideal partner. You will be together in sorrow and joy.
You will never understand each other until the end. But you both will surely die one day …
A little bit about the food crisis due to the quarantine.
About depression, powerlessness and feeling like an object in someone else’s games.
While I was trying to feel what it was like to be a bat,
my friend introduced me to the work of Thomas Nagel "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?",
a philosophical work about the problem of consciousness,
probably one of the best representations of it:
Thank you for Enjoying!
Stay safe!
Stay safe!
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Ocean & Moonlight
Emma Hu, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A
Ocean and Moonlight Shines over the land
are both inspired by wonders of nature —
ocean, and forest. Nature has always been
a great source of inspiration for me,
especially during this difficult time
when humans are isolated from it more ever.
By recreating nature scenes on paper
I feel like I’m gaining that connection with nature back,
and I’m able to relive the peacefulness and tenderness
that nature nurtures our heart and soul.
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EBONY
350 X 240 CM -enamel on canvas,2019
Alessandra Bisi, Milano, Italy
Covid 19 in the world has been sudden and in some ways traumatic.
I have dealt with many reflections on this
but now what I want to tell you is mainly that change inevitably
also affects our individual way of working.
The spaces and the relationship we have with them
both physical and mental and intellectual have changed.
I am very positive about all these news
that initially left me thinking as an artist
because I needed to metabolize to give back
what will be new. For me this new also passes through memory.
GREAT EBONY
350 X 240 CM -enamel on canvas,2019
Alessandra Bisi, Milano, Italy
NEW HEAVEN
24 X 30 CM - Oil on canvas
Alessandra Bisi, Milano, Italy
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A New Embrace
hand-cut paper
Antonius-Tín Bui, New Haven, CT, USA
These hand-cut paper portraits honor Queer Asian Pacific Islander Americans
who continue to inspire me everyday with their individuality and talent.
The love and tenderness evident in each piece provides a vision for a queer utopia.
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Calla Lyllies
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
A close look at the wonders of nature
Black Succulents
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Angel Trumpets and Hawaian Palms
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Macro Music
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Prickly Stuff
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Wild Things
Ivan Pešiċ, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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RESTART The Year of The Rat
重启鼠年
Digital Painting
Uncle Ray, Guangzhou, China
张艺 - 中国，广州
If we can turn back the time, what we can do?
I rather look forward and restart the year of the rat,
wish we have a brand new, energizing, smart and health year of rat,
from now to forever...
如果时光可以倒流，我们可以做什么？
我宁愿重启鼠年，向前看，
祝愿大家都拥有健康，充满活力，
从今到永远...
Uncle Ray (Yi ZHANG)
THE ENERGETIC RAT
DANCING RATS CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR
THE CARING RAT
MOTHER RAT WITH HER CHILD BATHING NEAR THE RIVER
THE SUCCESSFUL RAT
THE RAT KING CROSSING THE RIVER RIDING AN OX WITH HIS FOLLOWERS
THE WEALTHY RAT
WEALTHY RAT WITH HER MAID
INTELLIGENT RAT
INTELLIGENT RAT READING
THE PEACEFUL RAT
PEACEFUL RAT ENJOYING THE NATURE
cover calligraphy "楽“ from Huang Yongyu
Huang Yongyu is a contemporary Chinese artist known for both his prints and paintings. Huang’s ink works are often scenes of wildlife, foliage, or human figures. Born in 1924 in Fenghuang, China, he never attended a regular school, but instead studied literature and art on his own. The artist was mainly dedicated to woodblock printing until the 1960s, he began producing ink-wash paintings. During the Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s, Huang, like other artists was persecuted by the Mao Zedong’s regime. His well-known Owl paintings—which portray owls with one eye shut was a meant as a symbol of government officials turning a blind eye to injustices—landed him in a labor camp for three and half years. More recently, the artist has broadened his practice to include sculpture. Huang currently lives and works in Beijing, China. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
