Asians in Art

Asians in Art

por Karuna Shinsho/Szewah Chin
ArtesSociedad y Cultura
How Keiko Matsui Turned Her Life Into Music
Our first guest on Asians in Art filmed in Los Angeles, California is internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, and humanitarian Keiko Matsui. Her music has been described as “passionate, emotive, and timeless anthems with rich harmonies and global rhythms.”Touring now for some four decades with a whopping 30 albums of original compositions under her belt, Keiko continues to draw devoted fans to her shows worldwide. Yet, becoming a professional musician was not something she initially aspired to growing up in Japan, despite showing signs of genius early on. Keiko, who began her piano studies at five years old, composed a soundtrack for the 1981 movie "Abandoned", directed by Shirô Moritani, when she was just a teenager. She went on to study at Yamaha Music Foundation and then eventually moved to the United States to release her debut album “A Drop of Water” in 1987 to critical acclaim. Since then, she has continued to shine as a solo artist, as well as worked with countless music legends, including Chaka Khan, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Bob James, and Hugh Masekela. A firm believer in building bridges through music, Keiko is also passionate about lending a hand to many humanitarian causes, including early breast cancer detection and bone marrow donation drives. Check out Keiko’s episode to find out what inspires her prolific creativity, why a rice cooker was necessary on tours in the early days, and how her music affects even butterflies! Photo courtesy: Keiko Matsui Video courtesy: Keiko Matsui Much gratitude to sound engineer Steve Ornest, Co-owner at Total Access Recording (@tarerecording) and cameraman Keita Hagiwara (@keitar_hagiwara). Special thanks to John Oshima for connecting us with Keiko-san. And we are grateful to our sponsor JEXSYS for their support.
E20
10 sept 2026
31:11
She Almost Built F-14 Jets — Cindy Cheung's Unlikely Journey to Acting
Award-winning actor Cindy Cheung’s path to the stage and screen was not a linear one. Raised in California, Cindy studied applied mathematics at university and was even offered a job as a systems engineer to build F-14 fighter jets. But a workshop at an Asian American theater group convinced her that acting was a possible career option. After studying at American Conservatory Theater in the late 90s, Cindy headed to New York City to further pursue her craft. But a year in, doubts about the industry and herself led her to walk away from it all. Eventually, Cindy found her way back to acting, amassing a multitude of memorable performances in theater, film, and tv, including the 2025 revival of Bus Stop, M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water, and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and The Sinner. Cindy is a recipient of a Tony honor and OBIE citation for her contributions to theater and advocacy for Asian American performers. The versatile actor spoke to Asians in Art about how she rediscovered her joy in acting and how painting is now taking center stage in her artistic journey.
E19
28 ago 2026
40:55
Emmy Winner Violet Du Feng — China’s Dating Game & 30M Eligible Men (PBS)
Shanghai native Violet Du Feng is known for creating multifaceted, intimate films that explore China's deeply complex social issues. A 2025 Guggenheim Fellow and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, her credits include Harbor from the Holocaust and Please Remember Me, which led to China’s first documentary impact campaign and government policy improvements for senior dementia care. In this episode of Asians in Art, we discuss her latest film, The Dating Game. The movie premiered at Sundance 2025 as a Grand Jury Prize nominee and is now streaming on PBS. The documentary follows three rural bachelors on an intensive dating camp against the backdrop of China’s gender imbalance—a legacy of the one-child policy. We also explore Hidden Letters, her Oscar-shortlisted and Peabody-nominated film about Nüshu, the secret script created by women in Hunan, and what it reveals about female identity in China today. You can watch The Dating Game here if you are in the US: https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/the-dating-game/ Violet's Instagram: /violetfengdoc A sians in Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiashow/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581717263443
E17
31 jul 2026
37:37
Tannishtha Chatterjee — Director, Actor, Princess of Parallel Cinema
We caught up with one of India's most acclaimed independent film actors and directors, Tannishtha Chatterjee, following the New York premiere of her latest film, Full Plate — her second feature as director, starring Kirti Kulhari, Sharib Hashmi, Indraneil Sengupta, and Monica Dogra. Trained as a Hindustani classical vocalist and a graduate of India's prestigious National School of Drama, Tannishtha became known to the world for her roles in the German film Shadows of Time and Brick Lane. She's been in over 50 movies, and has starred alongside Abhay Deol in Road, Movie, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Dekh Indian Circus and Lion. Siddiqui played the lead role in her directorial debut, Roam Rome Mein. Her accolades include: A Best Actress nomination for a British Independent Film Award (Brick Lane) Best Actress at the Pune International Film Festival and the Rajasthan International Film Festival (Doctor Rakhmabai) Best Actress at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Parched) The Asia Star Award at the Busan International Film Festival for her directorial debut, Roam Rome Mein The Visionary Director Award at the Busan International Film Festival for Full Plate Recognition by BAFTA for her contribution to Asian Cinema In this interview, we talk about her movie Full Plate, love of acting, her move into directing, and what grounded Tannishtha during Stage 4 oligometastatic cancer treatment.
E16
10 jul 2026
36:08
Radhika Vekaria — The Power of Sound, Devotion and the Sacred
In this deeply personal conversation on the Asians in Art Podcast, we sit down with Radhika Vekaria — Grammy-nominated British Indian–East African vocalist, composer, sensory artist and speaker whose work explores the transformative power of sound. Drawing on Sanskrit narratives, Vedic hymns and the science of sound, her music bridges thousands of years of tradition with the contemporary world. Her album Warriors of Light received a 2025 GRAMMY® nomination. Rolling Stones called the album a "a deeply personal rendition that yearns for inner strength and peace of mind." Other critics have describe her music as "spellbinding", calling her one of the "most compelling performers active today" who has captured "something universally human." She has performed at The Grammy Museum and Harvard University, collaborated with NASA-JPL for her immersive astrophysical experience 'I AM', and performed for spiritual leaders including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sai Maa. Her philosophy is simple: music is medicine. In this episode we cover: ✨ Radhika's life journey and the moments that shaped her ✨ Singing Sanskrit Vedic hymns and the devotion behind her art ✨ The spirituality and mindset behind her creative process ✨ Her message for anyone finding their own voice
E15
26 jun 2026
46:10
From Saigon to NYC — maura nguyễn donohue's Dance Journey & The Future of Contemporary Dance
The Village Voice has called her work "enormously powerful, alternately voluptuous and frenetic." maura nguyễn donohue has spent over 30 years as one of New York City's most distinctive voices in avant-garde dance performance — as a choreographer, curator, producer, and advocate for the art form. She is now Chair of Dance at Hunter College, one of the city's leading public colleges. Born in Vietnam, maura's reach extends well beyond New York. She's taken her work across the US, Europe, and Asia — and from 1999 to 2004, she served as artistic advisor for Dance Theater Workshop's Mekong Project, a Rockefeller Foundation-backed initiative that brought US choreographers into creative exchanges with artists in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. In this conversation, we get into her beginnings, what it meant to find her voice as a Vietnamese-Irish American, her return to Asia as an artist, where dance in the US is heading — and what's next for her.
E14
19 jun 2026
35:22
Perry Yung — Bruce Lee's Warriors, the Three Body Problem & Working with Soderbergh
In this episode we sit down with Perry Yung, a veteran actor, musician, and activist who embodies the essence of "Be water". The Oakland, California-native who grew up idolizing Bruce Lee, the martial artist renowned for his iconic quote, has navigated his career with remarkable flexibility and an open embrace of change. Originally destined for a career in modern dance after winning a scholarship to study at the esteemed Martha Graham Dance Company, Perry's curiosity for exploring diverse art forms led him to pivot towards acting. Perry's breakthrough came when he landed the role of opium den owner Ping Wu in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed TV series, The Knick. This paved the way for other memorable roles, including Father Jun in Justin Lin's action-packed Warrior and Professor Ye Zhetai in the popular series Three-Body Problem, based on the sci-fi novel by Liu Cixin. Music also holds a significant place in Perry's artistic endeavors. As an accomplished craftsman of the Japanese flute, known as the shakuhachi, he not only performs it, but also lives it as a breathing mediation in motion. Despite his immense success, Perry remains dedicated to amplifying the voices of other Asian Americans through the SLANT Performance Group, which he co-founded in 1995.
E13
29 may 2026
48:59
One Stage, Many Worlds — Aya Ogawa on Motherhood, Translation and Making Theatre With Many Dimensions
Multi-award winning playwright, director, and translator, Aya Ogawa knows what it's like to live in many worlds and in between. Born in Tokyo and based in Brooklyn, their work centers women and non-binary perspectives and uses the stage as a space for exploring cultural identity and the immigrant experience. In this conversation, Aya opens up about the deeply personal journey behind their Obie Award-winning play The Nosebleed — and the profound emotion of bringing that story back to Tokyo. They talk candidly about motherhood as a glorious, chaotic shitshow, the inspiration behind their latest work Meat Suit, and what it truly means to translate — not just words, but entire worlds — from Japanese to English. Recipient of the 2025 Doris Duke Artist Award, the 2023 Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, and the 2023 Obie Award for the conception, writing and direction of The Nosebleed, Aya Ogawa is one of the most energizing voices in US theatre today. Follow Aya at https://www.instagram.com/ayagwa/ Their next show and other works: https://www.ayaogawa.com/
E12
15 may 2026
39:10
Following the Groove — Wen-Ting Wu on Jazz and Drumming
Wen-Ting Wu is a drummer, composer, and educator from Taiwan, now at the heart of New York City's jazz scene. From the moment she felt the swing, she followed it — across genres, across oceans, and deep into the spiritual heart of the drum. She has performed at some of New York City's most iconic venues — including Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club, Smalls, Smoke, and at large festivals across the US and Taiwan. Wu’s diverse musical career also includes international tours with the indie-pop band Sunset Rollercoaster. She is a regular member of Frank Lacy's Septet & Classical Jazz Ensemble, and the AAPI Jazz Collective and has shared the stage with notable artists such as Ed Cherry, Mimi Jones, Charenee Wade, Helen Sung, and Lonnie Plaxico. For Wen-Ting, drumming is more than a career — it's something deeply spiritual. In this interview, she opens up about that profound connection to her craft, what it means to be a woman behind the kit in a male-dominated world, and what's next for one of jazz's most compelling drummers. Wen-Ting is part of a new generation of female jazz drummers stepping into the light — bringing not just extraordinary technique, but a depth of feeling and philosophy that is reshaping what it means to sit behind the kit. You can follow Wen-Ting at https://www.instagram.com/wentingating Subscribe to our Asians in Art's YouTube channel, Apple Podcast, Spotify or follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiashow/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581717263443 Music: Justin Jen Video Editor: Szewah Chin Social Producer: Karuna Shinsho Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho Exec Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho
E11
1 may 2026
30:17
From Alaska to New York — Actor Ariel Estrada, Champion for Asian American Artists
Growing up Filipino American in rural Alaska, Ariel Estrada learned early that he existed at the edges. Raised in a strict Asian household, he carried those pressures with him when he set his sights on New York's acting scene, only to find new walls waiting: class barriers, industry gatekeeping. Searching for empowerment, he spent twenty years inside a brutal martial arts cult before finding his way out — and his way forward. Today, Ariel is an actor, theater maker, producer, and the founder of Leviathan Lab, an award-winning nonprofit creative studio dedicated to advancing Asian and Asian American performing artists. In this episode, Ariel talks about the journey that shaped him and the community he built because he needed it to exist. Learn more about Ariel at: https://www.arielestrada.com/ Follow Leviathan Lab for upcoming shows, events or how to support them: https://www.instagram.com/leviathanlab/ Subscribe to Asians in Art YouTube channel, Apple Podcast, Spotify or follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiashow/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581717263443 Music: Justin Jen Video Editor: Szewah Chin Social Producer: Karuna Shinsho Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho Exec Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho
E10
17 abr 2026
27:50
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