2023
Visiting Artist Lecture
North Seattle College
February 2023
2022
Travel + Leisure Magazine
July 2022
By Laurel Delp
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Voice of America
April 1, 2022
Morn Chear & Lauren Iida interview with Scott Stearns
91.3 KBCS Radio Spotlight
March 1, 2022
By Yuko Komada
The Seattle Times: A Net Woven of Art and Memory
February 17, 2022
By Alan Berner
Video Spotlight by Artxchange Gallery
Citizen's Indefinite Leave Solo Exhibition
February 2022
Crosscut: ArtSEA: New audio tour amplifies Seattle’s ‘Green Book’ history Plus, a show of intricate cut-paper art reveals everyday scenes of Japanese American internment during WWII.
By Brangien Davis
February 17, 2022
International Examiner: Artist Lauren Iida captures her family’s incarceration experience during WWII in “Citizen’s Indefinite Leave” at ArtXchange
February 4, 2022
By Kiyomi Kishaba
"Lauren Iida’s Citizen’s Indefinite Leave captures the story of her family’s incarceration in Tule Lake with enticing and detailed paper cutaways colored with watercolor and ink. Iida focuses on her grandma’s older sister, Clara, whose journey unfolds throughout the exhibit.
Born in Seattle, Iida earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornish College of the Arts in 2014. Her work has since been exhibited in a number of galleries, including ArtXchange Gallery, Tacoma Spaceworks and Columbia City Gallery. She founded Open Studio Cambodia, a collective in Siem Reap, Cambodia that provides support for up-and-coming Cambodian artists. Her art is often influenced by her work in Cambodia and her family’s incarceration during WWII, as depicted in Citizen’s Indefinite Leave.
The title Citizen’s Indefinite Leave comes from the “indefinite leave” pass granted to Clara before the end of internment. She traveled alone from Tule Lake, CA to Washington State to be with her fiance where he worked, sponsored by a white man. Many of the cutaways depict thought-provoking images of life at Tule Lake.
A trilogy of black and white images titled Limit 1, Limit 2, and Limit 3 each show a lone girl pressed up against a fence made of string. In each one, the girl appears to be contemplating life beyond the “limit,” looking outward into the white and gray surroundings. Although simple, the trilogy conveys a strong feeling of loneliness and unsaid woes of these young girls unjustly incarcerated. Iida does a brilliant job of capturing a whole story in a few brushstrokes."
Born in Seattle, Iida earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornish College of the Arts in 2014. Her work has since been exhibited in a number of galleries, including ArtXchange Gallery, Tacoma Spaceworks and Columbia City Gallery. She founded Open Studio Cambodia, a collective in Siem Reap, Cambodia that provides support for up-and-coming Cambodian artists. Her art is often influenced by her work in Cambodia and her family’s incarceration during WWII, as depicted in Citizen’s Indefinite Leave.
The title Citizen’s Indefinite Leave comes from the “indefinite leave” pass granted to Clara before the end of internment. She traveled alone from Tule Lake, CA to Washington State to be with her fiance where he worked, sponsored by a white man. Many of the cutaways depict thought-provoking images of life at Tule Lake.
A trilogy of black and white images titled Limit 1, Limit 2, and Limit 3 each show a lone girl pressed up against a fence made of string. In each one, the girl appears to be contemplating life beyond the “limit,” looking outward into the white and gray surroundings. Although simple, the trilogy conveys a strong feeling of loneliness and unsaid woes of these young girls unjustly incarcerated. Iida does a brilliant job of capturing a whole story in a few brushstrokes."
94.9 KUOW Radio Spotlight
January 21, 2022
Denverite
‘Tomorrow is a New Day’: A new art exhibit at McNichols Center shares a message of hope and healing through the lens of a Cambodian proverb
January 21, 2022
By Maggie Donahue
Artist Lauren Iida stands in the McNichols Building where her new show, "Tomorrow is a New Day," is being set up. Jan. 19, 2022. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
In the center of the city, a new art show aims to project a message of optimism in difficult times.
Curated by Shanna Shelby, a Program Administrator for Denver Arts & Venues, Tomorrow is a New Day is one of the latest art exhibitions at the McNichols Center in Civic Center, a City-operated arts and culture hub. The gallery features block printed works by Cambodian artist, Morn Chear, and paper cut art by Seattle-based artist Lauren Iida, all displayed around the museum’s lofty third floor exhibit space.
The exhibit’s theme comes from a popular Cambodian proverb: “Tomorrow is a new day” — a message of perseverance in the face of adversity, and optimism for the future. For both Morn and Iida, art has been a way to heal and grow.
Art represents a chance for a better life after a tragic accident for Morn, and a tool for challenging the stigma of disability. Iida’s work is an investigation of the lives of her ancestors who were incarcerated in the Japanese internment camps during WWII, and a process of healing from intergenerational trauma.
2021
Discover Nikkei
'Tracing the Past With The Present: Yonsei Artist Lauren Iida"
December 21, 2021
By Tamiko Nimura
Plymouth Housing mural, lower Queen Anne, completed 2021 with Urban Artworks and Path With Art. Photo courtsey of the artist.
Yonsei artist Lauren Iida and I first met online years ago when I interviewed her from Cambodia. Since that conversation her arts practice has expanded and deepened, as has her entrepreneurship and mentorship—all of these factors making her career an exciting one to watch. Her beautifully evocative paper cutting artworks include Memory Net, the series 100 Aspects of the Moon, and the series 32 Aspects of Daily Life. Many of them draw on her Japanese American heritage and historical research, and are often inspired by old family photographs.
In recent years Iida’s work has reached larger audiences, with her work being translated to murals throughout the Seattle area as well as Cambodia. In March 2021, along with a spike in anti-Asian attacks across the United States, one of these public art pieces was vandalized. Inspired by the Japanese artisan tradition of kintsugi, Iida chose to retain and highlight the damage by stitching together the piece with gold joinery.
Densho Interview Erin Shigaki and Lauren Iida
April 5, 2021
"Earlier this year, Densho artist-in-residence, Lauren Iida, sat down with Erin Shigaki — a longtime Densho friend, designer, and artist — for a conversation about how their art is influenced by their shared lineage as descendants of WWII incarceration. Since they couldn’t safely sit in the same room together due to COVID, this interview was conducted via Zoom with creative workarounds engineered by Common AREA Maintenance, a beloved Seattle art space.
Lauren’s work is currently featured in their storefront as part of their Second Avenue Sign Project, and is safely viewable from the street. If you’re in the Seattle area, we encourage you to stop by and check it out (2125 2nd Ave. in Belltown) until mid-May!
Lauren’s work is currently featured in their storefront as part of their Second Avenue Sign Project, and is safely viewable from the street. If you’re in the Seattle area, we encourage you to stop by and check it out (2125 2nd Ave. in Belltown) until mid-May!
Artzone by Nancy Guppy
Seattle Channel
"Two-week trip turns into years-long passion project, mentoring & supporting Cambodian artists"
March 26, 2021
Interview by Carlos Esteves of Factory Phnom Penh
"Meet Lauren Iida from Open Studio Cambodia"
March 24, 2021
Artzone with Nancy Guppy
Seattle Channel
January 2021
"When artist Lauren Iida's panel in the temporary art mural at Sound Transit's Federal Way Extension Link was vandalized, she boldly confronted the racist act with the healing power of art. Created by Howard Shack"
ANNOUNCING DENSHO’S 2021 ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
“I am very pleased and honored to be selected as one of Densho’s 2021 Artists in Residence. Densho’s extensive digital archives have been an essential part of my own exploration and research about the experiences of my Japanese American members before, during, and after WWII. Densho’s historical photos, oral histories, and educational tools have influenced my artwork enormously over my art career and provided endless inspiration for exhibitions and public art projects. Thank you for this opportunity.” -Lauren Iida
2020
"Culture Without Borders"
Interview with The Future Ancient
November 22, 2020
"Our Seattle-based artists work to center our cultural futures and collective liberation. In partnership with Seattle's Office of Art & Culture and the Seattle Art Museum, we present to you our online art & cultural variety show featuring interviews, performances and cultural gems. The Future Ancient is a public art project curated and organized by Che Sehyun, an indigenous Corean artist."