Ruth (Aiko) Asawa

Born on a truck farm in Southern California, Asawa was interned at the Rohwer concentration camp in Arkansas during World War II. In the 1940s she attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Predominantly recognized for her hanging wire sculptures, Asawa weaves or “draws contours that turn empty air into apparent shapes.” She states, “I am able to take a wire and go into the air and define the air without stealing it from anyone. A line can enclose and define space while letting the air remain air.”