Mahjong: The Intersections of Tradition, Community, and Craft

EXiT at Catharine Clark Gallery, FYRN, and Sharon Zheng cordially invite you to an afternoon centered around learning mahjong, a Chinese game played by four people. The event, hosted by EXiT, will take place in Catharine Clark Gallery’s main exhibition space during the run of In Real Life by Michael Hall and Salty Rainbow by Imin Yeh.

Imin Yeh is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in sculpture, installation, and participatory events. Her projects use print media both as a technical tool for realizing large-scale works and as a conceptual strategy for exploring free exchange and craft-based economies. Among Yeh’s diverse and ongoing projects, this event will highlight her project Paper Mahjong, of which kits can be purchased to build at home. This project encourages contemplation of the unseen labor behind cultural souvenirs, while also delving into how games and craft nurture community, collaboration, and companionship.

In addition to Paper Mahjong, mahjong game sets will be available for attendees to play. Local artist and creative Sharon Zheng will be present with her handmade How to Play Mahjong zines, providing insights and instruction in playing the traditional game. In conversation with Salty Rainbow is In Real Life, a show of trompe-l’œil artworks by Michael Hall that bridge painting, sculpture, and shelving. Both artists’ work engages with the domestic, parenting, and the ordinary details of family and community life through highly crafted artworks that draw upon historical artmaking techniques. Seating for game-play will be provided by FYRN, renowned for its marriage of traditional woodworking techniques with modern manufacturing to produce elegant essential furniture pieces that advance the tradition of American furniture-making.