2020 is a year unlike any other. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the global racial strife sparked by the murder of George Floyd ruptured our sense of normalcy. “Faces in the Pandemic” is a response to the surreal and dystopian nature of our existence right now. Created with the participation of interviewees and supporters of the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA), the exhibition represents a portrayal of the experiences and perspectives of Asian Americans in the times of COVID-19 and harkens back to the days of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Jim Crow dehumanizing of people of color.
The exhibition consists of two parts: a community photo mural and an art show with artists who are mainly Houston based. The mural spans across ten wall panels and is made of photos from 120 volunteers from all walks of life. Stages of emotions are reflected in their faces: grief, anger, bliss, and contentment. Their gaze seems to question their place in this country that discriminates by skin color, as they remind us of our shared humanity. Chang Liu, in her aesthetics of codes and algorithm, created “Random Walker - Dripping” that echoes with the surreal and transient time we are in. Placed next to the mural, it is an invitation for viewers to situate themselves within this time capsule alongside the volunteers who contributed to the mural. Both Antonius-Tin Bui and Jennifer Ling Datchuk confront myths about Asians and use traditional art forms from their culture to tell their diasporic experiences. For Bui, paper is also a metaphor for history. The derogatory term, “Yellow Peril,” makes a comeback in Bui’s work as it references the current administration’s scapegoating of immigrants of Asian descent and all “Perils of People of Color,” while expressing Asian American’s solidarity with “Black Lives Matter”. Datchuk, a ceramics artist who was trained in Jingdezhen, China’s most heralded source of porcelain, playfully mimicked two typical Chinese dolls while calling out the Model Minority Myth. Sherry Tseng Hill (’80, ’82) in her recreation of a historical timeline featuring key Asian American social justice activists, depicts community mobilization across the globe against structural inequality, systemic racism and the legacies of colonial empires. Victor Ancheta examines our time in the coronavirus crisis against the transient nature of life with memento mori (“remember you must die”), a fate no one can escape. Anthony Pabillano triggers a discourse on colorism by focusing on the various skin tones of a young girl. Together with Brandon Tho Harris, Irene Kwan, Wen-Hui Shen, and Yinxi Jushi, the group takes a strong stand against racial inequality and social injustice.
Featured Artists
- Antonius-Tin Bui (they/them; b. 1992, New York, US)
- Anthony Pabillano (b. 1989, Philippines)
- Brandon Tho Harris (b. 1995, Texas, US)
- Chang Liu (b. 1987, China)
- Irene Kwan (b. 1986, Texas, US)
- Jennifer Ling Datchuk (b. 1980, Ohio, US)
- Sherry Tseng Hill (b. 1957, Taiwan)
- Victor Ancheta (b. 1987, Philippines)
- Wen-Hui Shen (b. 1961, Taiwan)
- Yinxi Jushi (Buddhist Layman Yinxi 印溪居士; b. 1960, China)
The exhibition was organized by Ann Shi, Associate Curator, under the guidance of Dr. Anne S. Chao, Program Manager of Houston Asian American Archive; funded by the Chao Center for Asian Studies; assisted by Sarah Kong (Sophomore, Sid Richardson) and Helen Pu (Junior, Baker).
