Mark Chai (born in Honolulu) is a Native Hawaiian sculptor who designs and handcrafts fine woods and recycled materials into modern lamps, sculpture, large installations and furniture."The Art of Recycling," http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912210315
His handcrafted modern lamps have been featured in Dwell, the New Yorker,"Sculptor of Light," New Yorker, August 11–18, 2008 House Beautiful,"Lanterns," House Beautiful, February 2007 and HomeHome, September, 1994 magazines, as well as in Wallpaper* magazine’s Honolulu City Guide.Phaidon, 2009 His work is also seen in Travel & Leisure, and Modern Luxury Hawaii.
The New York Botanical Garden commissioned Chai's "Heliconia" monumental stainless steel sculpture as part of its Georgia O'Keeffe Hawaii retrospective in 2018.
Three of Chai's sculptures are prominently displayed in the lobby of Disney's Aulani Hotel on Oahu. Honolulu magazine named him one of Hawaii's hottest designers."Take Home Design: Stylish products by Hawaiʻi's hottest designers," Honolulu http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/April-2006/Take-Home-Design/ Three of his lamps were featured in the Honolulu Museum of Art's 2016-17 year-long exhibit, "Hawaii in Design." A dozen of his lamps appeared in the Hawaii season of the television show, "Real World.""Second time around: Mark Chai crafts castoffs into masterpieces," Honolulu Star Bulletin, August 16, 2001 http://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/08/16/features/index.html Two of Chai's sculptures of recycled plastic were purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and displayed in the Hawaii State Art Museum.
His custom wooden lamps light Chef Ed Kenney's restaurants town, Kaimuki Superette, and Mahina & Sun's, and Art After Dark at the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Chai says his inspirations are childhood memories of the play of light and shadow in glowing camp fires on the beach, moonlight shining through the leaves of palm trees, and watching the precision of craftsmen building a wooden fence in Japan. He wanted to make lamps because, "I wanted to interact with the viewer. What better way than to turn something on?" "Art: It's a Turn On," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 6, 1998 His work has 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.""Hawaii by Design: Light'em Up, Mark Chai" The Culture Trip site listed him as a "giant" of the Hawaii art scene, "Mark Chai's naturalist style transforms everyday table lamps and wooden furniture into expressions of the organic world."“10 Emerging Contemporary Artists From Hawaii to Know” https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/hawaii/articles/10-emerging-contemporary-artists-from-hawaii-to-know/
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1976
Footnotes
References "Kailua:Portrait of a Place," http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/April-2010/Kailua-Magazine-2010/Kailua-Portrait-of-a-Place/index.php "Mark Chai...Extraordinary from the Ordinary" https://web.archive.org/web/20090304201618/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
External links http://www.handcutmodern.com