Arts & Entertainment
Stories of Immigrants Displayed At Torpedo Factory Art Center
Artists share the stories of immigrants through painting, sculpture, collage and video.
From Torpedo Factory Art Center: The newest exhibition in Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, explores the lasting effects migration has on cultural identity. Passages gives an intimate look in to artists’ individual experiences and how they shaped who they are today. It is on view Saturday, January 27 through Sunday, March 4, 2018.
“Each work of art offers a personal look into a multi-layered personal and complex process of journeys, cultural exchange, assimilation, rejection, transculturation, and preservation,” said exhibition juror, Adriana Ospina, curator of the Permanent Collection and Education at the Art Museum of Americas. “Passages is but a small sample of a contemporary global process. It’s a reminder that movement and settlement are a recurring historical course.”
The 16 artists represented in Passages—nine of whom are from the region—are all first, second, or third generation immigrants to the United States. The participating artists are:
WonJung Choi, Richmond, VA
Isabella Cruz-Chong, Brooklyn, NY
Anne Dushanko Dobek, New Providence, NJ
Abiodun Eniyandunni, Washington, DC
Nadia Estela, Montclair, NJ
Samar Hussaini, West Orange, NJ
Bahar Jalehmahmoudi, Adelphi, MD
Gail Morrison-Hall, Wyncote, PA
Sherwin Rio, San Francisco, CA
Rafael Rodriguez, Hyattesville, MD
Kanika Sircar, Washington, DC
Marite Vidales, Washington DC
Aaron Wax, Brooklyn, NY
Jenny Wu, Alexandria, VA (2015 Post-Graduate Resident)
Ju Yun, Chantilly, VA
Helen Zughaib, Washington, DC
Through painting, sculpture, collage, and video, artists share their stories from the perspective of immigrants and immigrant families from across the global diaspora. The viewer is invited to get a more intimate connection with the experiences and feelings the artists are reflecting through their work. For instance, WonJung Choi, originally from Korea, has what she refers to as a “nomadic self-identity.” In Borderless, she takes traditionally Western silverware and transformed it into shoes fitted to her feet, the design inspired by Western battle armor. The shoes suggest protection for her, to shield her throughout her journeys.
Sherwin Rio, born in the United States with roots in the Philippines, confronts this sense of dual identity that comes from being a part of a diasporic culture. His work GLOVES is representative of how cultural performance is put on and taken off. Rio states that it symbolizes, “the futile fight between seemingly conflicting identities, and how nationalism—in relation to sports like boxing—leads to a sense of community, especially in the Philippine diaspora.”
As a part of his recent project, Naturalization, Aaron Wax investigates the life of his grandfather, a Polish Jew who moved to the United States prior to WWII. The series is intended to reconstruct his grandfather’s life and the tragic experiences shared through oral histories. The result reflects the flawed nature of memory—a new narrative put together by Wax from what he accumulated second-hand from other relatives. This exhibition features three photographs from this series: Portrait, Naturalization, and Wallet.
“This exhibition allows artists to authentically tell their stories and to encourage dialogue with the viewer, who may have similar experiences,” said Leslie Mounaime, Target Gallery director. “One in seven people in Washington, D.C. is an immigrant. In Virginia, it’s one in eight. We want to create a space for these voices, as we strive to make sure our whole community has an opportunity to be reflected in the work that we do.”
Passages runs Saturday, January 27, through Sunday, March 4, 2018. The public reception will be Second Thursday, February 8, 6 – 8 pm, with Opsina’s comments at 7 pm. Target Gallery is open daily from 10 – 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays.
Image Via Torpedo Factory Art Center