She Who Has No Master(s) in Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power
Featuring work from the collective’s Yellow Echoes series in the exhibit and virtual gallery.
JADE WAVE RISING
Portraits of Power
PRESENTED BY THE ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS ASSOCIATION (AAWAA) AND ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER CULTURAL CENTER (APICC)
SOMArts Cultural Center
April 27 - May 21, 2023
What is power? Who wields it? How can it be owned, contested, and exercised? For Asian women whose embodiment of power has culturally been limited to either Dragon Lady, Lotus Blossom or Tiger Mom, these questions are ever more prevalent. The true definition of power remains elusive and open to inquiry.
Curated by Yeu Q Nguyen, Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander woman agency and resilience in a multitude of manifestations. Jade is a rare mineral imbued with different metaphysical and cultural meanings, used since prehistoric times to adorn objects associated with power such as ceremonial daggers, jewelry, and crowns. Using jade as an allusion to more diverse definitions of power, the exhibition pays homage to overlooked AAPI historical figures and establishes new legacies of leadership for a more equitable future for women everywhere.
Hoa Nguyen gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts