At a hidden convergence of sea, stone, and spring, I experienced a moment that reshaped my practice. At sunrise on the winter solstice, during a movement ritual, I sensed presences moving through the landscape. Bodies of irridescent light seemed to circle in the morning air, their forms suggested by shifting shadows, reflections, and the scent of pine.

The images from that morning continue to guide my work.

I approach sculpture through an embodied process, allowing intuition, dreams, and research into place and history to guide the materials I gather and the forms I shape.

I engage ancestry not as distant history, but as a living relational force shaping what we inherit and what we carry forward.

The Descendant Series grows from this practice. Using reclaimed materials, these large-scale sculptures translate relationships between memory, material, and lineage into contemporary form.

About

Joshua (Josh) Sin is a Canadian artist and designer based in Portland, Oregon. His multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, and immersive environments, shaped by a background in industrial design, world champion gymnastics, concert piano, and shoemaking. These disciplines inform a rigorous approach grounded in precision, repetition, and material craft.

Working primarily with reclaimed materials and textiles, Sin transforms discarded objects into sculptural forms that reflect on labor, resourcefulness, and sustainability. His work has been exhibited at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Portland Chinatown Museum, and the Oregon Biennale, and he has created large-scale immersive environments internationally, including concept stores in Tokyo, Seoul, and Berlin. His designs have also been worn by Olympic athletes at the 2026 Winter Games.

Sin’s practice bridges design and contemporary art, reimagining material systems through processes of deconstruction and reconstruction while contributing to public, cultural, and spatial experiences.

Selected Exhibitions

2027

A World Within, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, OR (forthcoming)

2026

Lan Su Chinese Garden, Artist Residency, Portland, OR (forthcoming)
GMA Architects Residency, Portland, OR
Nike Air Milano Jacket and Team USA uniform, 2026 Olympics, Milan, Italy.

2025

Warp Speed, Center for Creative Arts & Culture at PNCA, Portland, OR
Just Playin' Around, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU, Portland, OR
Environmental Learning Center Gallery, Recology, San Francisco, CA

2024

Coming Home, Revitalizing Old Town, 220 Gallery, Portland, OR
The Dump Show, Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, California
SATIRE, Shaking The Tree Theatre, Portland, OR
Cuts Across: Artists Respond to Lived Intersection, Carnations Contemporary
We Wrote This With You in Mind, Inside the Box Gallery, Portland, OR

2023

Regenerations, Portland Chinatown Museum, Portland, OR
Ode to San Francisco, Four Chicken Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Glean, Recology, Parallax Art Center, Portland, OR

2022

Metaverse Biennale SIKKA Art & Design Festival, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Publications, Talks, & More

2025

Please, Play with the Art, PDX Monthly
Just Play' Around: Seriously? Of Course, Oregon Artswatch
Fresh Connections - JSMA Art Talk

2024

Silver Medalist - Best Visual Arts for the Global Asian Creative Awards
Anti-Fashion Fashion Show Critiques Consumer Culture - Willamette Weekly
Simultaneity as Design: Everyday Pakistan and Beyond, Beaconhouse National School of Visual Arts and Design, Lahore, Pakistan

2023

Sustainable Fashion Lecture, Portland State University, Portland OR
Asian American Art Talk, Portland Chinatown Museum, Portland, OR
Shed Panel Art Talk - The ReBuilding Center, Portland, OR

2022

Divide Magazine, Vol 4
Zerowaste Workshop - Danielle Elsener, Portland, OR

2016 Shoemaking Apprenticeship - Nassier Vies Studio, Toronto, ON

2015 Titanium Grand Prix winner, Cannes, France

2015 Shoemaking Workshop - School School, Port Townsend, WA

2014 Leather Manipulation - Chicago School of Shoemaking, Chicago, IL

2005 Gymnastic World Championships, Eindhoven, Netherland

2003 Gymnastic World Championship, Hannover, Germany

Hello!

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