[photo credit: Pasadena Senior Center]
Shanguo (Sam) Jia, a Chinese-born conceptual artist who immigrated to the United States in 2022 under a federal visa reserved for individuals of extraordinary ability in the arts, created the series from conversations with center members about their lives. The resulting exhibition, “Our Stories in Art: Diversity and Symbiosis,” opens with a free reception on Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the center, 85 E. Holly St.
The Pasadena Senior Center describes Jia as an “internationally respected conceptual artist.” His professional biography, listed on the Saatchi Art platform, records a career that spans exhibitions at the Grand Palais in Paris, the Havana International Biennale, Lincoln Center in New York, and galleries in Budapest and Seoul. He holds a Master of Arts from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China’s top-ranked institution for the discipline, and his work is held in the collections of the Italian Benetton Art Foundation and the Hungarian National Bank Art Foundation, according to that profile.
Before coming to the United States, Jia served as an art consultant to the Hungarian Cultural Center in Beijing and was recognized as a Distinguished Researcher by the China Institute of Paper Art, according to his professional biography. He established a studio in Los Angeles after arriving.
What distinguishes this exhibition from a conventional gallery show is its stated methodology. According to the center’s event listing, the paintings are not simply inspired by the idea of aging or memory in the abstract. They are inspired by the life stories of center members who participated in the project, according to the center, and whose narratives became the source material for the visual work on display.
The reception gives the public an opportunity to view the paintings, meet Jia, and meet the seniors who participated in the project, according to the center.
The Pasadena Senior Center, which opened in May 1960, was the first nonprofit senior center in Southern California and one of the first in the nation, according to its institutional history. A donor-supported nonprofit that does not receive government operating funds, the center serves more than 10,000 older adults age 50 and over each year, drawing members from across Pasadena and Altadena.
The reception for “Our Stories in Art: Diversity and Symbiosis” is free and open to the public on Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. Refreshments will be provided. Registration is requested through the center’s website at pasadenaseniorcenter.org or by calling (626) 795-4331.
The title of the show — “Diversity and Symbiosis” — is, in the end, a description of its own process: an artist from Shandong province and seniors from Pasadena, each giving the other something they did not have before.
“OUR STORIES IN ART: DIVERSITY AND SYMBIOSIS” RECEPTION Date & Time: Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Venue: Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly Street, Pasadena, CA 91103. Phone Number: (626) 795-4331. Website: https://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/activities-events/special-events/2298-our-stories-in-art-diversity-and-symbiosis-reception
