Mark Chai (born 1954 in Honolulu) is a Hawaiian-Chinese sculptor who shapes fine woods and recycled materials into lamps, sculpture, large installations and furniture.

His lamps have been featured in the New Yorker,^[1] House Beautiful ^[2] and Home^[3] magazines and in Wallpaper* magazine’s Honolulu City Guide.^[4] Honolulu magazine named him one of Hawaii’s hottest designers.^[5] A dozen of his lamps appeared in the Hawai‘i season of the television show, “Real World.” ^[6] Chai's "Opala (Garbage) Gone Wild" received the 3-D award in the 2007 “Commitment to Excellence” Art Exhibition, was purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for its Art in Public Places program and displayed in the Hawaii State Art Museum. ^[7] Made from a recycled white plastic 30 gallon barrel, it is a commentary on our overflowing landfills.

His custom lamps light the Downtown Cafe at the Hawaii State Art Museum^[8] and Art After Dark at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. ^[9]

Chai says he was inspired to make lamps because, "I wanted to interact with the viewer. What better way than to turn something on?" ^[10] His lamps have been described as "cutting edge hanging lamps of intricate interlocking pieces of cut and finished plywood. The effect is origami in thin air with distinctive Hawaii touches." ^[11]

He received his BFA from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in 1976, and is married to author Makana Risser Chai.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• "Mark Chai...Extraordinary from the Ordinary" http://www.hawaiibeachcombers.com/mark-chai.html
• "One small step," Honolulu Weekly, May 9-15, 2001
• "Recycled material turned into lamps: Hawaii artist finds his muse in strange places," Honolulu Advertiser, September 12, 1999
• "Trash Turned Into Art: Recycle Art '99 shows there's value to be found in society's discards," Honolulu Advertiser, April 25, 1999

[edit] External links

• http://www.MarkChaiArts.com