Paper Mahjong by Imin Yeh

Paper Mahjong was first conceived at the Lucas Artist Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center in 2010. Originally, it was a downloadable black and white PDF file. It was, and still is, freely available to anybody willing to cut-fold-build 144 paper mahjong tiles. In 2014, the project was commissioned for an exhibition called Project Mah Jongg at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. That new design celebrated how this game is enjoyed by both Chinese and Jewish communities in America. On exhibit was a full set of Paper Mahjong tiles as well as a few public program events where visitors were invited to fold and build a complete, albeit wonky, set as a gift back to the museum. This risograph printed artistbook was published in 2022 in an edition of 50. This set is inspired by Imin's Waipo’s set, the most beautiful and well-loved set in the world.

Imin Yeh is an interdisciplinary and project-based artist, working in sculpture, installation, participatory events, and print. The projects use repetitive handcraft and mimicry as a strategy for exploring the issues around the unseen labor and production that lies behind our many unconsidered everyday objects.