In the Name of Art, Letting Hearts Meet

[China Press reporter Lin Xuedan, reporting from Seattle, Oct. 12] How can art cross the boundaries of language and culture and help people from different backgrounds connect? For tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Conru, the answer may lie in a painting, a photograph, and the moments when people enjoy art together.

Photo caption: Andrew Conru, founder of Art Love Salon and the Conru Art Foundation, shares his thoughts at the photography exhibition. Photo: APA/Becky Bi

On October 11, the Seattle Asian Photography Association (APA) celebrated its first anniversary with its second photography exhibition at Art Love Salon. As the main sponsors, Art Love Salon and the Conru Art Foundation, both founded by Andrew Conru, supported the event and gave photography enthusiasts a chance to show their work and exchange ideas.

In an exclusive interview with China Press, Conru said that one of art’s most important values is bringing people from different backgrounds together, so that in appreciating and talking about art they discover shared feelings and experiences.

“When people stand before a beautiful work of art, differences of cultural background, and even of political views, can for a moment recede into the background.”

In Conru’s view, photography is one of the art forms the public can most easily take part in, but excellent work is not a simple copy of reality. With his background in painting, he believes a painter can freely create the world in the picture, while a photographer has to find light, color and shape in the real world and, through observation and composition, turn a fleeting moment into artistic expression.

In an earlier interview with APA, he explained the meaning of art with a poetic metaphor: an artist’s work is like a love letter sent to the viewer.

“When you appreciate a beautiful photograph, you are also coming to understand the photographer’s soul.”

He believes a photography exhibition does more than display excellent work: through different photographers’ lenses, viewers also come to understand one another’s lives. Asked about APA’s Asian cultural background, Conru said that different ethnic groups bring their own ways of seeing, and that the power of art is not bounded by any identity.

Photo caption: Andrew Conru hopes the photography exhibition gives photography enthusiasts a place to show their work and exchange ideas. Photo: APA/Junfeng Jiang

For years, Conru has supported local arts organizations through the Conru Art Foundation, hoping to use funding, venues and event resources to bring art to more of the public and to help more artists be seen.

“Our goal is simply to give people the chance to be surrounded by beautiful things.”

He said he founded Art Love Salon to create an open and beautiful space amid busy city life, where people can enjoy art, exchange ideas and build real human connections.

This philosophy is closely tied to his own life. Born into an ordinary blue-collar family in the American Midwest, Conru went into internet entrepreneurship while studying at Stanford University and achieved business success. After selling his company at 39, he began to rethink the meaning of life.

Years later, at a friend’s suggestion, he tried creating one painting every day, and kept it up for a whole year. The experience taught him to slow down and focus on color, light and detail, and he gradually realized that happiness comes not only from career achievement and wealth, but also from the process of discovering and creating beauty. This ultimately led him to found the Conru Art Foundation, to share the joy of art with more people.

The young people’s work in this APA exhibition also showed Conru the creative potential of the next generation. He especially praised a shadow photograph by Anan, a 5-year-old girl. In the picture, a green plant falls exactly where the heart would be in the shadow, like a beating green heart. The work also won the “Art Discovery” special prize.

Photo caption: “Green Heart,” a photograph by 5-year-old Anan, won high praise from guests and visitors for its original point of view and childlike creativity. Photo: APA/Becky Bi

In his view, photography is especially well suited to young people, who can express their own understanding of the world through the lens. He believes the point of photography education is not just mastering technique: in learning composition, observing light and looking for unusual angles, students develop the ability to think independently and express themselves creatively.

For young people growing up in Seattle and the Eastside, where the tech industry is so concentrated, art also offers another way of understanding the world. Conru said Art Love Salon hopes to run more free art education programs, including inviting photography teachers to hold regular beginner classes. He also looks forward to working further with APA so that more young people and ordinary residents can experience the art of photography.

As an early internet entrepreneur, Conru still actively uses artificial intelligence in technology development. But he believes that as AI changes the way people work, personal worth should not rest entirely on job titles and professional skills.

By contrast, a passion for life, a feeling for beauty and connection with others can bring a more lasting sense of who you are.

“I live with passion, and every day I go looking for beauty.”

In Conru’s view, what photography cultivates is exactly this: the ability to stay curious, observe closely and discover the value of life through creativity.

That is also what this APA exhibition conveyed: images not only record beautiful moments, they also let people of different ages and cultural backgrounds understand and connect with one another through art.