Pao Arts Center is proud to host New Narratives, an ongoing multifaceted project first exhibited in 2020 through Unbound Visual Arts. This second iteration, divided into three distinctive segments, features twenty-five artworks by sixteen Boston-area artists who explore aspects of their identity through their artist practice, as well as Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) culture and narratives informed by personal experience.
Curated by guest curator Leslie Anne Condon, our exhibition offers a partial glimpse into the many interrelated and tangled issues that impact the AAPI communities, as well as the complex and ever-growing iterations of AAPI identity that continue to emerge from every corner of the Boston area.
Embodied Identities
October 21 - December 17, 2021
Photo credit: Mel Taing. Ode to Durian (We Are Ineffable), Digital Photography 18 x 24
Our identities as Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are shaped by our racial and ethnic identities and cultural understandings interwoven with our embodied experiences, but what it means to be part of the AAPI community lies beyond our shared biological traits and overlapping ancestral histories. Even the language that we use to categorize and define ourselves, though powerful, is highly imperfect and constantly evolving in response to new considerations. Some of us feel tethered to the cultural norms of our communities, resisting and embracing different elements over time. Others feel closely tethered to the white gaze and the stereotypes projected onto our communities and ourselves. How are the cultural norms of our communities reflected in our bodily expressions? How do our bodies offer opportunities for liberation and healing from the stereotypes projected onto us? The artists included in this exhibition explore how identity is deeply connected with, but not limited by, our physical selves.
Participating Artists: Maria Fong, Eugene La Rochelle, Brenda Lau, Jennifer Okumura, and Mel Taing
Intergenerational Storytelling
January 27 - March 25, 2022
Photo Credit: Matthew Okazaki, Ojichan's Home. Crystal City, Texas, 1945, Digital collage, 12 x 16
Storytelling across generations allows us to preserve and reimagine family histories and strengthen and advance community narratives. Stories also reinforce culture. Interpreting the stories of our elders for ourselves and each other allows the stories to live on in more expansive ways. How do we reinterpret our ancestor’s stories for ourselves? How do we acknowledge certain generational divides within our evolving society while still honoring our elders? Each artist in this segment of New Narratives addresses such questions through their artwork, sometimes piecing fragments together to tell a new story.
Participating Artists: Melody Hsu, Madeline Lee, Yuko Okabe, Matthew Okazaki, Melissa Teng, and Lily Xie
The Collective Imaginary
May 27 - July 22, 2022
Photo Credit: Jessica TranVo, A Ride Into Space.., Digital Collage
Our ability to dream and imagine our futures is greatly influenced by how we interpret our AAPI histories. Dreaming of more just and equitable realities can transform whole neighborhoods, communities, and societies, but we can only envision more inclusive and expansive social structures if we fully account for the conditions of our present and past, alongside other historically subordinated communities. This segment of the exhibition features artists who address aspects of our present society and also help us dream of better futures.
Participating Artists: Yanni Niki Li, Ponnapa Prakkamakul, Micah Rose, Jessica TranVo, and Tran Vu