Ella Yang, New Artist-in-Residence at Aloft New York Brooklyn, Boutique Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NY – When in Brooklyn, why not enjoy all things made in Brooklyn? Such is the thinking behind General Manager Jean Philippe’s approach to creating a distinct Brooklyn vibe at his stylish, boutique hotel Aloft New York Brooklyn. This includes inviting painter Ella Yang to be the new Artist-in-Residence. Starting early March, her oil paintings of local scenes adorn the walls of the main entrance lobby. Yang will occasionally change out the paintings on display and put on more extensive exhibitions in the Re:mix lounge. A reception to celebrate the current installation of paintings and to meet the artist will be on Thursday, May 5, 6-8 pm.

“We want our guests to experience what Brooklyn has to offer, but we aim to engage our local community as well,” explains Philippe. “Not only can our guests enjoy Brooklyn-made beer and vodka, we want their surroundings to reflect the cultural energy for which Brooklyn is known.” Given this mission, Yang’s cityscape paintings of Brooklyn neighborhood street scenes and rooftop views are a natural fit. They show off the architectural legacy, today’s retail charms, and vibrant street life of Yang’s beloved Brooklyn. And Yang’s interest in capturing the play of light at specific times of day complements the airy and colorful interiors of Aloft’s ultra-contemporary spaces. The artwork will be available for sale, in case a guest or visitor wants to take a piece of Brooklyn home with them.

Ella Yang, a native New Yorker and second generation Korean-American, is mostly self-taught. She takes great pleasure in traditional methods of oil painting, especially in applying glazes, and she often works “en plein air,” i.e. on site with a portable easel. She states that her goal is “to find a simple way to capture the spirit of a scene at a particular instance. Inevitably the paintings become infused with my own wonder and delight at having discovered something – a pattern, a gesture, an angle of light – that is inherently pleasing. At best my paintings pay tribute to the abundant benefits of attentiveness.”

Yang shows her work in solo and group exhibitions in New York City and its environs. She also sells directly from her studio near the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Her paintings are in private collections in the USA, as well as in Hong Kong, Italy, France, and Austria, and in a number of corporations and hospitals. Three of her paintings are currently on display at the U.S. Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, selected by the Art in Embassies program of the U.S. State Department. In the summer of 2006, she was awarded a month’s stay at the internationally recognized artist residency program the Vermont Studio Center. She is honored to be included in the book “100 New York Painters,” by C.M. Dantzic, which was published by Schiffer Books. Yang is a graduate of Yale College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.

Aloft New York Brooklyn is located at 216 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn, a block from the Hoyt Street (2,3) subway station and a few blocks from the Jay Street-Metrotech (R) and the Dekalb (B, Q, R) subway stations. More information about the hotel can be found at www.aloftnewyorkbrooklyn.com.