Wendy Yao

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Wendy Yao (born Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and curator. [1]

Yao is a graduate of Stanford University, where she had a radio show and started a radio station magazine. [2] Her sister is visual artist Amy Yao, with whom she was in the 1990s all-Asian American teenage riot grrrl trio Emily's Sassy Lime in Southern California. [1] [2] [3] The Yao sisters along with friend Emily Ryan formed Emily's Sassy Lime in 1993, and the band dissolved in 1997. [4] They all played multiple instruments and switched instruments during performances. [5]

Yao was proprietor of Ooga Booga art boutique and bookstore in Los Angeles, which sold artists' books, zines, records, clothes by independent designers, and other artist-crafted goods and ephemera. [1] [2] [3] [6] Yao operated Ooga Booga in Los Angeles' Chinatown neighborhood for 15 years starting in 2004, and a second outpost Ooga Booga #2 within the large-scale L.A. art space 356 Mission for a few years until it closed in 2019. [7] [8] [9] Yao curated art exhibits, film screenings, and music performances at these spaces. [3] In 2017, Yao was a recipient of the White Columns/Shoot the Lobster Award for her work creating opportunities for both artists and audiences. [10] After the storefronts closed, Yao expanded Ooga Booga into more flexible forms with pop-ups and a web presence. [3]

Wendy and Amy Yao have also collaborated on curatorial projects, including their Art Swap Meet at Andrea Zittel's High Desert Test Sites. [1] [11] [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Reese, Rachel (September 2013). "Interview with Wendy and Amy Yao" (PDF). Art Papers .
  2. 1 2 3 Alani, Anaheed (June 19, 2012). "Why Can't I Be You: Wendy Yao". Rookie.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McNeill, Mark "Frosty" (September 14, 2021). "Curator Wendy Yao on channeling your artistic enthusiasm". The Creative Independent.
  4. ↑ Marius, Marley (March 12, 2019). "At the Honolulu Biennial, Artist Amy Yao Examines Environments and Identity (With the Help of Some Algae)". Vogue .
  5. ↑ Yeung, Bernice (July 18, 1996). "Tart Teen Talkers". Metro .
  6. ↑ Cheh, Carol (November 19, 2012). "Word is a Virus: Revisiting Zines". Art21 Magazine .
  7. ↑ Tarmy, James (March 30, 2015). "If You Go to Only One Gallery in L.A., Go Here". Bloomberg.com.
  8. ↑ Miranda, Carolina A. (March 30, 2018). "Artist-run space 356 Mission is leaving Boyle Heights. Founders Laura Owens and Wendy Yao explain why". Los Angeles Times .
  9. ↑ Greenberger, Alex (March 30, 2018). "Los Angeles's Artist-Run Institution 356 Mission to Close". ARTnews .
  10. ↑ "Wendy Yao Wins White Columns / Shoot the Lobster Award for Creating Opportunities for Artists". Artforum . February 17, 2017.
  11. ↑ Taft, Catherine (May 11, 2006). "Just Desert". Artforum .
  12. ↑ "Amy and Wendy Yao's Art Swap Meet". High Desert Test Sites. May 12, 2007.
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