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Art News

Post-Minimalist Artist Miya Ando Honors Family History by Melding Steel and Meditation

NEW YORK, NY.- A descendant of samurai-era Bizen sword makers-turned-Buddhist priests, Miya Ando, a petite half-Japanese American who resides in Brooklyn, is the second coming of Ando steel workers. Miya, who from a young age saw the natural beauty and elegance in steel that her ancestors knew, has used this medium to make a name for herself as a respected post-minimalist contemporary artist. Her work is now on view in private homes and in public spaces across the U.S. and abroad. At 5-foot-4-inches, and about 100 pounds, Miya is the unlikeliest of steel workers. In fact, some of the steel panels she works on weigh more than she does. Miya says she can move a 5-foot square easily enough, but requires assistance for larger pieces, like the 40-foot she’s working on now in Louisville, Kentucky. By using traditional metalworking techniques such as grinding, sanding, patinas and heat to create textures, Miya’s use of hy