I believe Maya Lin is the perfect example of Asian Kartini. Born in y. 1959, Lin, as an Asian and woman, has become one of the most brilliant artists slash architects in the US. She designed the famous Vietnam Veterans Memorial on her 20th age. She was still pursuing her Bachelor in Arts degree in Yale University by that time. She got her Master of Architecture degree in the same university, not to mention other numerous honorary doctorate degrees.

Science plays a major role in the work she is doing now. She is very intellectual in her approach and conducts a massive amount of research for each project. For example, her first of two pieces for the Academy of Science, entitled Where the Land Meets the Sea, was based on data from a US Geological Study mapping the topology of the San Francisco Bay. As with her Systematic Landscapes, she takes great care to humanize this data and give it new depth and life. The piece looks like a drawing, floating in space above the terrace, and she describes this melding of art and science as a “way to visualize our world in an effort to more fully understand it.”

Maya has a tremendous passion and curiosity for the world around her. She surrounds herself with mountains of research and works tirelessly to translate cold hard facts into more accessible and relatable pieces of art. Some of this stems from what she calls a “child like curiosity” to just see what it will look like, but there is also a very political aspect to her work. She wants to make people aware of the environment they take for granted, and she said a few times, “If we can’t see it, we pollute it.” Through constant collaboration with scientists, Maya is a committed environmentalist, trying to help us see what we’re missing.

The work pictured above are very experiential, as something she laments is lost in the stillness of a photograph. Visit her website here to see more. Selamat Hari Kartini, folks!