undercurrents

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

underCurrents & the Quest for Space is a multidisciplinary arts exhibition and discussion investigating the space occupied by Asian America, socially, artistically and physically. Asian American artists exhibit work that detonates a discourse on the under‐discussed issues impacting Asian Americans, interrogates the myth of “model minority,” and acknowledges the multiple ways contemporary Asian American communities address and subvert stereotypes, discrimination and invisibility. This multimedia, multidisciplinary arts exhibition aims to identify and contemplate the political implications of what lies below the surface, while exploring possibilities to move beyond, reinventing history and artistically predicting an unrestrained future.

In partnership with Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), an organization that supports and produces multidisciplinary art reflective of the unique experiences of Asian Pacific Islanders living in the United States. underCurrents is featured as part of APICC’s 16th Annual United States of Asian America Festival.

CURATOR’S STATEMENT

Asian Americans occupy a unique position in the annals of American history with the distinction as the only group relegated to the status as perpetual “other” consequently and simultaneously demonized and idealized. Consider all the latent implications of who are Asian Americans today. Many outside of the Asian American community will conjure up a mixture of preconceived assumptions with words like “model minority” exploding into consciousness. The problematic myth implying perfection causes many Asian Americans to feel a disproportionate pressure to succeed while conversely experiencing continued disenfranchisement and institutional racism.

The notion of a model minority is one of the persistent themes as seen in the work of several artists participating in the current show. The intended aim of underCurrents is not to present a neatly packaged exhibition but rather to rattle the notion of anyone’s expectations of Asian American artists. Artists often serve as a social barometer inciting change and awareness. The individual artist’s expressions of empowerment deviate from and shatter stereotypes, reclaiming the very definition of Asian American. The second part of the title proposes to build a critical mass redirecting the future trajectory of Asian American art into spaces specifically dedicated to the promotion of all Asian American art.

Exhibition Dates

May 2nd ‐ 25th, 2013

Opening Reception:

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 5pm ‐ 8pm

Curator

Linda Inson Choy, specializes in international Asian and Asian American art

Jurors

Jay Xu, Director and CEO of The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, and Mary‐Ann Milford, Professor of Art History, Mills College, Oakland

UNDERCURRENTS & THE QUEST FOR SPACE EXHIBITION BY APICC & AAWAA @ SOMARTS, MAY 2–25 2013 underCurrents & the Quest for Space is a multidisciplinary arts exhibition and discussion investigating the space occupied by Asian America, socially, artistically and physically. Asian American artists exhibit work that detonates a discourse on the under-discussed issues impacting Asian Americans, interrogates the myth of “model minority,” and acknowledges the multiple ways contemporary Asian American communities address and subvert stereotypes, discrimination and invisibility. This multi-media, multi-disciplinary arts exhibition aims to identify and contemplate the political implications of what lies below the surface, while exploring possibilities to move beyond, reinventing history and artistically predicting an unrestrained future. Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to ensuring the visibility and documentation of Asian American women in the arts. Through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs, we offer thought-provoking perspectives that challenge societal assumptions and promote dialogue. aawaa.net Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) supports and produces multi-disciplinary art reflective of the unique experiences of Asian Pacific Islanders living in the United States. underCurrents is featured as part of Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s (APICC) 16th Annual United States of Asian America Festival at SOMArts Cultural Center. apiculturalcenter.org SOMArts is to promote and nurture art on the community level, and to foster an appreciation of and respect for all cultures. Founded in 1979, SOMArts embraces the entire spectrum of arts practice and cultural identity, and it is beloved in San Francisco as a truly multicultural, community-built space where cutting-edge events and counterculture commingle with traditional art forms. somarts.org Image, Video, and Article curtesy to AAWAA, APICC, SOMArts, Mido Lee Productions, www.facebook.com/MidoLeeProductions Music by Distimia (España)

Amy K. Bell writes fiction and poetry. Her chapbook, Book of Sibyl, is forthcoming from The Gorilla Press (thegorillapress.com). She studies writing at San Francisco State University’s MFA program and lives in Oakland. Find more of her work at amykbell.com. Power Tragedy by Amy K. Bell (A group of prominent females are dressed and ready. The stage is set for exchange. Momentum, momentum.) FEMALE CHORUS Pass us the Shibboleth. Say “sh”, you who cannot say it. Pass us the Fetish. Your baseball stats, lollapalooza We know the smell of parsley, perejil, blood. All these were used in Dis-course of war Now pass us the Shibboleth. To seize it sweet, and wield it just — Recite the Mothers of mother-tongues: Madre, Mama, Ama, Mère… (SHE approaches and we look at her.) SHE What are they saying? I am wary of a crowd. Wary of these unknown conjugations, Muter, Valide. (She grips.) Mirror, my Shield and Friend, It’s possible I do not know you. Impossible a song enough to identify me: Sixteen judges of the court eat the liver of a hanged man (from behind her hand) Food is always telling of Us. I whisper, to avoid knowing. And where am I? small as I am — I wore me as a stencil over a flashlight. You saw the shadow body. What is this rage I feel at words? An idea: demiurge. I approach them. FEMALE CHORUS You, there! Say butter, bread and green cheese, Say it for us, please. Pass us the Shibboleth, or do you intend to flee? How do you render your friend? SHE I will say: Sister, Alone phonemes are nothing, flashes of breath, rising up, a laughing hyster. FEMALE CHORUS Strong words. Powerful words. Nothing. But what’s that in your hand? A weapon? SHE I have a mirror, which doesn’t choose. FEMALE CHORUS Sounds a dangerous game. SHE On this we agree. But look now, the last of today’s rain returns to the air in eager sworls.

FEATURED ARTISTS

RELATED PROGRAMS

Poetry Reading: Navigating the underCurrents, Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 7:00 ‐ 8:30 PM

Curator: May-Lee Chai, Bay Area author and international journalist

Poetry reading inspired and surrounded by the exhibition’s socio‐political visual artworks. Activist poets read their original poems in reaction to specific art pieces, challenging the status quo and proposing new aesthetic spaces. The reading, which took place in front of the art piece that inspired each poet, questions our concepts and assumptions of gender, race, class, nationality, and the constructed femininity used to silence Asian American women throughout history.

Performance: Threads in Unbound Kimonos, performance, Saturday, May 18, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Panel Discussion: Saturday, May 25th, 2013 1:00 – 3:00 PM