Wander Woman by Root Division

EXHIBITION DATES January 9, 2019 - February 9, 2019

CURATED BY Rea Lynn de Guzman**

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

PERFORMING ARTISTS

Indrani Ashe Cynthia Brannvall Irene Carvajal** Kristiana Chan with missTANGQ Erika Gómez Henao Pantea Karimi Baharak Khaleghi & Behnaz Khaleghi Charmaine Koh Amanda Lee Wang Menmen M.O.B./Mail Order Brides Takako Matoba Anoushka Mirchandani Elena Patiño** Pallavi Sharma

Greta Liz Anderson* Samuel Cortez** Trinidad Escobar Behnaz Khaleghi Takako Matoba & Minoosh Zomorodinia Pallavi Sharma & Shailaja Dixit Christabel Soto O.M. France Viana

* Root Division Studio Artist ** Root Division Alum

Rea Lynn de Guzman,

Curator

The immigrant, immortal woman from the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman, embodies iconic feminine strength in the DC comic series. As an AmazonianAmerican fictional heroine, she blends into a foreign society to promote justice, peace, and truth. When describing her essence, DC states, “Torn between a mission to promote peace and her own warrior upbringing, Wonder Woman fights evil while hoping to unlock the potential of a humanity she doesn’t always understand.” Correspondingly, many immigrant women artists of color evoke Wonder Woman-esque qualities in their contemporary art practices by addressing issues of immigration, misrepresentation, stereotypes, cultural conflict, and feelings of acceptance or intolerance with an honest voice to fight for equality. As part of Wander Woman, the exhibition includes both an opening reception to celebrate the work of exhibiting artists, as well as a closing evening of performance to highlight an additional group of performing artists. Performance offers a unique communication tool and physical manifestation of the immigrant womxn body experience that serves to enhance the exhibition’s impact and enrich its thematic content. Both exhibiting and performing artists present complex characters and narratives that highlight transcendent experiences, often derived from their own personal perspectives. Wander Woman features works by Bay Area, immigrant women of color, who vary in professional backgrounds from emerging to established and have immigrated to the US from different parts of the world. Inspired by shared-yet-dissimilar psychological experiences of immigration and assimilation to the Bay Area, the artists present nuanced, intricate perspectives and narratives. Collectively, this exhibition explores complex identity politics such as diaspora, femininity, liminality, and power dynamics. Wander Woman presents a diverse range of artistic media intending to transcend geographic boundaries: interactive art, installation, painting, performance, photography, print media,

sculpture, and video. Living and working in and around the sanctuary city of San Francisco, each artist’s work highlights the difficulties entangled with the complexity of individual identity in connection with an ambiance of sisterhood from fellow immigrant women of color and empathic support from allies. The presented work examines these contemporary issues, along with stereotypes associated with being an immigrant woman of color through affect, humor, material explorations, relational aesthetics, and symbolism. Entering the front gallery space, the viewer is introduced to a few quiet, contemplative, and intricate artworks. With its dramatic dancing shadows, Pantea Karimi’s Suspended Healing Garden evokes personal memories from her upbringing in the city of Shiraz, Iran, known for its herbal medicine tradition. Karimi spent ample time as a child browsing through traditional drugstores in Shiraz with her grandmother, who believed firmly in the healing power of herbal medicine. Karimi’s researchbased art practice led her to model Suspended Healing Garden after medicinal plants depicted in a 12th century Arabic botanical manuscript, The Herbal of Al-Ghafiqi. Her choice to invert the plants speaks directly to her — experience as an immigrant; once uprooted, life becomes suspended and things turn upside down. Karimi’s installation is complemented by Cynthia Brannvall’s Continents, a beautifully textured, largescale triptych covered with monochromatic vintage and antique textiles. Continents engages with identity as a terrain imagined from memory, nostalgia, and culture in flux from forced and voluntary migrations. The three panels represent the continents that comprise the deep time origins and migrations of Brannvall’s own ancestry. The composed abstract patterns are imagined protein folds of DNA that travel across bodies of water and continents through inherited traits into the bodies of ancestors. Brannvall’s work explores the capacity of textiles to create a visual language for identity that acknowledges, respects, and celebrates the entanglement of multiple identities, and the ways in which they are tethered to history, culture, economies, and geographies.

In similar vein, Irene Carvajal’s Topographic Threads echoes the complexity of identity through the use of textiles as her core subject matter, suggesting a body who remains absent. Carvajal’s work outlines the many parallels and poetics between mass production and printmaking with themes of labor and globalization. By submitting mundane, mass-produced objects to the physical pressures of the printing press, Carvajal creates new imagery that is both familiar and unexpected. Moving to the back gallery, sisters and collaborators Baharak Khaleghi and Behnaz Khaleghi utilize fabric in their soft, yet fierce, sculpture, Corporeal Couture. They present a grotesque, absurdly unproportional female body with elongated breasts to confront the invasive male gaze, which seeks to define female representation paradigms as symbols of visual delectation, sexual pleasure, reproduction, and nurture. By portraying a carnivalesque female body, the artists bring up possible spaces of resistance that allow women to imagine a new future of bodily pleasures. They then activated the piece with a performance during the closing reception entitled Eternal Laughter. In the performance, Behnaz Khaleghi wears the sculpture and walks around the gallery laughing uncontrollably for approximately five minutes while the audience watches. In similar poignancy, Erika Gomez Henao’s oil painting entitled Unlike Me depicts a female figure with a “dislike” thumbs down icon in her mouth. Henao’s work explores contemporary issues of sexuality and consumerism. With a critical view on mass media culture and the ways in which women are over-sexualized, Henao’s painting focuses on the cult of beauty, excessive consumerism, and ultimately, shallow human connections. Also on view in the back gallery is Wang Menmen’s installation, When I look at the Unfulfilled Desires of a Mother I am Looking at Decay Itself, activated through the artist’s own body during the opening reception. In this performance, Menmen sits half-submerged in a bathtub filled with soil among rose bushes, a loose reference to the infamous bathtub scene in

Sam Mendes’s film American Beauty (1999). Wearing special-effect makeup, she appeared to be in her late 60s. Throughout the two-hour performance, the artist’s mother is present virtually on an iPad screen via WeChat video call from China, and available to answer arising questions from the audience. Her answers include twelve quotes from J.M. Coetzee’s Youth. The quotes highlighted the experience of becoming of an artist, as well as the relationships between: artists and their mothers, and male artists and women, whom they often fantasize. After the performance, the installation remained in the gallery where the roses were left to decay. When I look at the Unfulfilled Desires of a Mother I am Looking at Decay Itself is a reflection on the many roles a woman plays and the perils she faces as a mother, daughter, muse, artist, immigrant, and consumable object of desire. Complementing Menmen’s performance is M.O.B./ Mail Order Brides, a Filipina-American artist trio (Eliza “Neneng” Barrios, Reanne “Immaculata” Estrada, and Jenifer “Baby” Wofford). Known for their use of camp and humor to explore issues of culture and gender, M.O.B. conflates a once-common stereotype of Filipina women as “mail order brides” with an acronym suggestive of an organized crime organization. For Wander Woman, M.O.B. debuts their Manananggoogle 2018 recruitment video in the US, headed by an allwomen-of-color CEOs with a mission to organize the world and make it universally accessible and useful. Manananggoogle’s name also references the Filipina mythical creature called “manananggal,” a man-eating and blood sucking vampire-like woman with the ability to separate her upper torso from her lower torso, sprout her wings, and enable her to fly in search for her victim. In similar methodology of utilizing imagined, fantasyinspired work, Indrani Ashe presents her digital collage-inspired video, My Goddess Gave Birth to a Goddess. Ashe features a fictional character named Sadette Delacroix to fight against cultural appropriation and the underrepresentation of women of color in the arts and cultural appropriation. An excerpt from Ashe’s manifesto provides further context: “Women of color

are fighting a war of representation that reaches into the past and projects itself into the future. A war over who is visible and who authors what is seen…I created Sadette Delacroix to fight the war for me. My inner goddess gave birth to a psychedelic time-traveling goddess who seeks to infiltrate the system: to create, distribute, and profit. A brown girl imitating a white girl, imitating a brown girl. I can’t culturally appropriate myself, I’m TAKING IT BACK.” Correspondingly emphasizing the strength of the goddess, Anoushka Mirchandani contributes a trio of hand-carved and hand-built porcelain ceramics entitled Shanti, Priya, and all the rest. This series of ceramic work recognizes and honors the humanity of Dalit or “untouchable” women in India who are relegated to the lowest rungs of Indian society, enforced by a classist mentality and an outdated, thousand-yearold caste system. Mirchandani juxtaposes porcelain ceramics and luxurious 24K gold leaf with portraits of Dalit women in their traditional sarees and bindis to elevate and provide a place at the “table” for all the Dalit women and to all women treated as outcasts in their own country, or in another, though in reality are equally powerful women within. Referencing mythology, Pallavi Sharma’s mixed media installation Meghdoot (The Cloud Messenger) refers to the Sanskrit term “Meghdutam” (the cloud messenger) by the poet Kalidas. In this literary text, an exiled Yaksha (Demigod) sends messages through clouds to his beloved wife and yearns to reunite with her. In Sharma’s installation, each rain cloud depicts the artist’s inner turmoil on the present state of the world and acts as a prayer to settle down the dust of violence, terror, and discrimination centering on gender, race, and ethnicity. Sharma’s work speaks to her desire to move away from the unseen borders, peripheries, and false binaries. During the closing reception, Sharma collaborated with Shailaja Dixit to perform a poetic performance entitled Sorry, Not Sorry. Using Sharma’s Meghdoot (The Cloud Messenger) installation as the backdrop during the performance, the duo wear masks and traditional sarees,

evoking a double consciousness that seems to negotiate an abstract conflict of assimilating to a specific culture and language, yet repudiating it at the same time. In the end, they both seem to find a quiet resolution within the self. Speaking as well to the experience of dual-national identities, Takako Matoba’s Kakejiku, mixed media photo series installation is also reminiscent of the aforementioned dichotomy of inner conflict. Matoba’s work combines elements from both Japan and the US. Each work consists of three images: one from Japan, one from the US and one from the Pacific Ocean. Printed on Japanese kozo paper, the translucency and verticality of the material echoe Japanese shoji and scrolls. Through this body of work, Matoba aims to make sense of the often divergent and sometimes opposing belief systems she continually faces from the experiences of growing up in Japan and moving to the US. Like Sharma, Matoba chose to collaborate with another performance artist, Minoosh Zomorodinia, during the closing reception. In their performance entitled Two Rivers, both performers wrap themselves mindfully in multiple strands of fabric. Matoba uses a white fabric, and Zomorodinia utilizes a silver foil material; each distinct costume reflects their individual cultures Japanese and Iranian. Initially appearing as separate rivers, they ceremonially navigate with the audience to hand out strands of the fabrics, and meet eventually in the middle, yet remain separate.

Greta Liz Anderson’s performance No Ma Dic further

complicates the role of cultural dress by highlighting its ties to multiple, adapted identities. As the title suggests, Anderson emphasizes the hybridity and liminality within an immigrant identity. During the performance, Anderson travels throughout the entire gallery, cuts up shreds of her garment, leaves pieces behind on the floor, and writes with graphite on the walls. These actions reflect the artist’s way of leaving a mark behind, while connecting a thread between the exhibiting artists and their works.

Simultaneously at the closing evening of performance, Trinidad Escobar addressed her creative response specifically to the experience of immigration. Escobar presented a literary reading of her graphic memoir Crushed, inspired by her identity and experiences as a transnational adoptee. Escobar’s work illustrates elements of her Filipina heritage, depicting both the lush mythology in contrast to the brutal and violent aspects of her homeland. Escobar’s commanding and powerful voice left listeners wanting to learn more about her characters. One of the participatory performances during the closing reception was O.M. France Viana’s interactive work Ube Trade, which centers on food memories as a form of cultural and psychological engagement. Installed at the event’s Creative Station, Viana created a purple ambiance using lighting to emphasize the color of ube (purple yam - a root vegetable popular in Filipino desserts). In addition, Viana set up a spread of delectable ube desserts and snacks, which could be enjoyed in exchange for a written food memory and a one-on-one conversation with Viana. Also seeking audience participation, Christabel Soto’s artistic performance is more subtle and intimate in nature. Over a two-hour period at the closing event, Soto presented Narcissus. During this interactive piece, she sits on a chair, inviting visitors to an empty seat beside her, while surrounded by a massive amount of self-portraits that she painted, stacked and strewn about the floor. Collectively, Soto’s work investigates the personal and compelling essence of identity, language, and migration, offering a timely and much-needed interrogation of the human condition in a fragmented and disoriented world. In tandem with Soto’s investigation of identity in relationship to migration, Elena Patiño displays a sitespecific installation of hundreds of colorful, felt balls entitled Color Migration appropriately on view above the gallery walls. Color Migration is a celebration of the handmade — a laborious craft. Using synthetic materials combined with natural fibers, Patiño draws from the

biological notion of a single unit, combining and recombining it in an organic and regenerative fashion to create larger patterns and structures. As a whole, Color Migration oscillates between a single exploding form and hundreds of individual pieces. The complexity of migration is often connected with the idea of home, evoking lingering memories, remnants, and unidentifiable poetic senses. Charmaine Koh’s video h-o-m-e ponders the predicament of being out of place, striking an urge to search for a sense of belonging. The character in the video seeks to find answers around specific areas in Singapore, only to be left with more questions and uncertainty. Koh’s piece references public housing blocks including where she grew up, dealing with nostalgia as well as cultural, linguistic dissonances that complicate these liminal spaces. Echoing these questions of home, Amanda Lee showcases a video entitled Homeland. Lee’s work explores art as a site of healing and resistance, specifically for young, queer people of color. Within the film, Lee’s character wanders through both private and public spaces. The character is often blindfolded, while moving backwards through space. Despite the unknown in surroundings, the body is not completely out of control, and moves continually through the mundaneness of everyday life.

To cap off Wander Woman, Samuel Cortez performed Fallen Dreams, a highly charged, inspirational piece. During the performance, Cortez attempts to break out from the inside of a large cage, made with wire and wood, using only his bare hands and feet. It takes Cortez several minutes to deconstruct the cage. When he finally breaks free, Cortez walks away while the audience cheers. The performance left a wide, powerful space for interpretation - should the audience have intervened if Cortez was unable to break through the wire? Was his breakthrough evocative of hope, pain or survival in the solitude of such an experience? Regardless of various effects and conclusions, it was an act of reflection and resilience. .................................. It has truly been an honor and a humbling experience to have had the opportunity to curate this powerful show, Wander Woman. Many thanks to Root Division, the professional staff, thought-provoking mentors, supportive colleagues, the audience and community, and most of all to the artists for their creative work—all the research, process, imagination, conception, which can often go unnoticed. This show is dedicated to all the Wander Woman out there. You inspire me.

Creating a quiet moment for immersion and contemplation on ancestry, collaborators Kristiana Chan and missTANGQ offer their work Inherited Luminescence. Uniting traditional forms with reclaimed mythologies, Inherited Luminescence honors Chinese and Malaysian ancestors with illuminated paper lanterns and projected stop-motion animations. The installation invites the audience to become submerged in the alchemy of remembrance where one’s inheritance and history intermingle with the creative power of incarnation.

My Goddess Gave Birth to a Goddess 2018 Video Duration: 2 minutes 41 seconds

Indrani Ashe 13

No Ma Dic Performance with pencil, hand-made garment and scissors Duration: 30 minutes

Greta Liz Anderson 15

Continents 2014-2016 Vintage and antique textiles painted on stretched crinoline 68 x 154 x 2 3/4 in.

Cynthia Brannvall 17

Topographic Threads 2015 Collograph monoprint on paper 62 x 36 in.

Irene Carvajal 19

Inherited Luminescence 2018 Wood and paper-cut lanterns, multimedia video and audio Dimensions variable

Kristiana Chan missTANGQ 21

Fallen Dreams Performance with wood and wire Duration: 15 minutes

Samuel Cortez 23

Excepts from Crushed Reading Duration: 10 minutes

Trinidad Escobar 25

Unlike me 2016 Oil on canvas 36 x 30 in

Erika Gรณmez Henao 27

Suspended Healing Garden 2019 Cutout-papers, printed text, threads and rods 5 x 5 x 16 ft.

Pantea Karimi 29

Corporeal Couture 2018 Soft sculpture 80 x 47 x 34 in.

Eternal Laughter Performance with soft sculpture Duration: 5 minutes

Baharak Khaleghi Behnaz Khaleghi 31

h-o-m-e 2018 Video Duration: 1 minute 27 seconds

Charmaine Koh 33

Homeland 2016 Video Duration: 6 minutes 37 seconds

Amanda Lee 35

äşş (person) 2015

ĺ?Ł (opening) 2018

Archival pigment ink, kozo paper, beeswax, metal, and monofilament thread 75 x 15 in. each

Takako Matoba 37

Two Rivers Performance with projection Duration: 10 minutes

Takako Matoba Minoosh Zomorodinia 39

When I Look at the Unfulfilled Desires of a Mother I Am Looking at Decay Itself 2019 Installation, performance Duration: 180 minutes

Wang Menmen 41

Manananggoogle 2013-Ongoing Video Duration: 9 minutes 39 seconds

M.O.B./ Mail Order Brides 43

Shanti, Priya and all the rest 2018 Hand-carved and hand-built porcelain ceramics 12 x 8.5x 1.5 in. each 44

Anoushka Mirchandani 45

Color Migration 2019 Felt and metal pins Dimensions variable

Elena PatiĂąo 47

Meghdoot (The Cloud Messenger) 2016 Mixed media installation 120 x 120 in.

Pallavi Sharma 49

Sorry Not Sorry Performance Duration: 10 minutes

Pallavi Sharma Shailaja Dixit 51

Narcissus Performance with self-portraits Duration: 150 minutes

Christabel Soto 53

Ube Trade Collaborative performance, an exchange of ube (purple yam) for food memories Duration: 120 minutes

O.M. France Viana 55

CONTENTS 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55

Indrani Ashe Greta Liz Anderson Cynthia Brannvall Irene Carvajal Kristiana Chan with missTANGQ Samuel Cortez Trinidad Escobar Erika GĂłmez Henao Pantea Karimi Baharak Khaleghi & Behnaz Khaleghi Charmaine Koh Amanda Lee Takako Matoba Takako Matoba & Minoosh Zomorodinia Wang Menmen M.O.B./Mail Order Brides Anoushka Mirchandani Elena PatiĂąo Pallavi Sharma Pallavi Sharma & Shailaja Dixit Christabel Soto O.M. France Viana

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Executive Director

Malorie Kuo

Education Programs Director

Lucie Wu

EXHIBITION DOCUMENTATION

Graham Holoch

STAFF

Michelle Mansour

Lindsay Ellen Howland Samantha Reynolds Phi Tran Celeste Christie

Carissa Diaz

Art Programs Manager Communications & Design Manager Office & Systems Manager Installations & Site Coordinator

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Root Division is a visual arts non-profit in San Francisco that connects creativity and community through a dynamic ecosystem of arts education, exhibitions, and studios. Root Divisionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to empower artists, foster community service, inspire youth, and enrich the Bay Area through engagement in the visual arts. The organization is a launching pad for artists, a stepping-stone for educators and students, and a bridge for the general public to become involved in the arts

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