The Wood Art Gallery, Part 2

While the Woods' art collection favors contemporary Vietnamese artists, painters from other countries are represented as well. During a trip to Rwanda, the Woods paused on the street to get their bearings. A man carrying this geometric painting--completed so recently it was still wet--asked them if they needed help. It just so happened they were looking for the art collective where he worked. Talk about serendipity! The painting was clearly meant to go home with them -- and it did. (Again, apologies to the artists for not having their names.)

Their new friend's art collective was filled with art telling the story of the Rwandan people. This vibrant painting was created by an artist who told the Woods he worries he won't be able to provide for his wife and children.

His family is represented in the painting as they go about their daily lives. In the bottom left corner you see children sitting on uncomfortable stools with a teacher at the front of the class. Not an optimal situation for learning. Above the school teacher is a woman carrying a small child on her back in traditional African fashion.  The lower left corner holds men balancing jugs on their heads. Are they going to market?  And the woman on the left must surely be his wife, overseeing all the activity in a calm manner.  I love it.

By Collin Sckejugo 

Collin Sckejugo is another of the artists the Woods met during their trip. Sckejugo considers himself a Rwandan Ugandan artist due to his connection with both countries. His paintings--which often incorporate hands--have gained attention both in his home countries and abroad. But he's about much more than his own art.

Sckejudo's mission is to use art to change lives. To that end, he has founded several artist collectives across Africa. He is an activist as well, campaigning against ethnocentricity and for boda-boda safety. Boda-boda--or motorbikes--are a popular means of transportation in Africa. As in Florida, many riders do not wear protective helmets. Sckejugo combined his art with his activism by personalizing helmets and making them a fashion statement. In addition to increasing the riders' safety, his campaign created jobs.

By Collin Sckejugo

His work has brought Sckejugo to the United States on more than one occasion. He was selected for a month-long artist residency at Spread Art in Detroit and participated as a guest artist at the Lake Eden Arts Festival in Asheville. And, thanks to Chas and Mimi, Sckejugo has a work in the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in D.C. (Chas told us Sckejugo has a work at the Smithsonian. It was only upon reading an interview with Sckejugo that I learned the Woods were the donors. To read a copy of the interview, click here.)

By Yayoi Kusama

In the midst of this room filled with colorful African art, we spied a more quiet painting. Leaning closer, Deb said somewhat reverently, "This is a Kusama!"  Yes, the Wood Gallery contains one of Yayoi Kusama's spray paint paintings. We were so awestruck that we neglected to get the story as to how this work came into the Woods' collection.

The painting bears more of a resemblance to Kusama's infinity net painting dates than the infinity dots for which she is best known. (Click here to see some of her infinity nets.) She has described these works as "paintings without beginning, end, or center...The endless repetition caused a kind of dizzy, empty, hypnotic feeling."

Like all of Kusama's paintings, this work has an astonishing level of detail. It didn't come as a huge surprise to learn that Kusama suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder.  As a child, Kusama experienced trauma both within her family and as a result of the war. The treatment she received at the hands of the New York art community only exacerbated her anxiety. Kusama has attempted suicide -- twice -- and has felt at times like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Since the 1970s, she has lived in a psychiatric hospital with an art therapy program. It's a place where she feels safe and that allows her the peace of mind to continue to create at her nearby studio.

Kusama's remarkable story has been captured in a documentary entitled "Kusama: Infinty."  It can be seen on Hulu or Amazon Prime. To watch the trailer, click here.

A huge thanks to Chas and Mimi Wood for their generosity in sharing their collection. It was a truly exciting--and educational--art experience. And I made some new friends to boot! Now THAT's what I call a successful outing.