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MOCA cordially invites you to visit the Museum this Sunday, December 12, at 3:00 PM EST to experience a live performance of In Radiance and Letters from
COVID by ARKAI, featured in our special exhibition Responses: Asian American Voices Resisting the Tides
of Racism.
ARKAI will also perform some beloved classics in
celebration of the holiday season. Don't miss this special
opportunity to ring in the New Year with ARKAI's 30-minute Mini Holiday Concert! FREE Admission.
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In Radiance
Notes
from Philip Sheegog and Jonathan Miron of ARKAI
In light of the recent rise in AAPI hate crimes, we
sought to write a piece that would bring solace and healing into
the world.
The piece is structured in three parts, opening with a
scene of isolation, emptiness, and confusion. It questions the
tragic violence and yearns for belonging.
The second section transforms in a resurgence of
spirit and steadfast resolve to be. We rediscover the motions and
emotions of daily life – enduring resilience, jubilant dances, and
proud dignity.
The third section emerges with a newfound radiance,
illuminated through communal healing and understanding. There is
collective care, hope, and an assurance that everything will be
alright.
This musical cycle is a representation of life’s
journey in its many forms. Through every challenge, what sustains
our humanity is the love and compassion that we give to each other.
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Responses is an offering to our country in a moment of
crisis. Chinese and Asian Americans are being blamed as the genesis
of the coronavirus and targeted in assaults across the country,
harming their bodies as well as their sense of belonging. To help
us navigate what is happening, the exhibition explores the lessons
of history and raises a collective voice against the rising tide of
anti-Asian hate and violence.
A monumental Timeline of Anti-Asian Racism in America lines the perimeter walls with historic lowlights in
the treatment of Asians and Asian Americans. Hand-painted and
inscribed by MOCA team and community members, the timeline details
events related to American imperialism in Asia, early race riots
that uprooted established immigrant communities, discriminatory
laws and policies that reinforced Asian American marginalization,
intimidation campaigns during the communist Red Scare, and
Islamophobia after 9/11, among other injustices. It culminates with
an expanded look at the past year’s spike in anti-Asian violence.
Artist Homer Shew brings these events to life with newly
commissioned murals that reflect the strength of our communities
throughout this long history.
The central Response
Wall features
submissions to MOCA’s OneWorld COVID-19
Special Collection, an initiative to document and preserve stories of
collective Asian American resilience, generosity and agency during
the pandemic. Since April 2020, we have gathered community voices
through documentary photography, video footage, original art and
music, protest signs, and social media awareness campaigns. The
projected video and soundtrack weaves together excerpts from oral
histories conducted over the past year to tell a
multi-dimensional story of the pandemic through an Asian American
lens.
We invite and encourage you to add your stories and
responses to the wall. By doing so, you can boost the healing
energy of our voices joined into a singular cry for justice.
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Explore MOCA anytime, from anywhere using our digital
guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Learn
the stories behind the work and hear commentary about the
exhibitions. Click the link to
download the app.
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Responses: Asian American Voices Resisting
the Tides of Racism and related programs are made possible with the
generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts,
Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Art Dealers Association of
America (ADAA) Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Con Edison,
Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)®, Stash, and
the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Special thank
you to Edward Cheng, former Director of Communications, for his tireless
contributions to the OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection oral
histories. In gratitude for a generous gift from MacKenzie Scott,
MOCA is able to reopen the Museum and present this exhibit with
free admission for all.
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