Behind the Mall, Oil on Linen, Claire Lau
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 20, 2021- Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) present the multidisciplinary art exhibition Sowing Agency, as part of the United States of America Festival opening on April 30, 2021, taking place at SOMArts Cultural Center and online. Sowing Agency is inspired by the fight for environmental justice, activating our Asian Pacific Islander communities to engage in the issues of today’s climate crisis. The exhibition features a number of artistic disciplines that work to realign our relationships with the Earth and highlights collective leadership. With the show’s broad coalition of community partners, Sowing Agency weaves local and global climate resistance into our cultural consciousness and reflects on the grief and resiliency rooted in “seeding the future.”
“This show is birthed from our deep frustration and grief at the impact of climate change on the API community both in the SF Bay Area and globally. As the recent killings of 6 Asian women and disappointing police response highlights, too many people see our bodies and our communities as disposable," says Lisa Pradhan, curator of the Sowing Agency. "Yet in the face of this, we are continually inspired by community activism in the face of injustice and by the power of art to foster resistance." There is a deep history of intersectionality between the environment and race within the San Francisco Bay Area. In the face of looming threats including gentrification, climate change and anti-Asian hate, the art showcased in Sowing Agency is a catalyst that honors the rich intersectional history of our AAPI communities and cultivates hope for our collective future on this planet.
Artist Cindy Shih
“It is an amazing experience to be able to take up space and create work to honor decades worth of a struggle to preserve and maintain this earth. Although climate change has been on people’s tongues more [over] the last decade, our ancestors and elders have been fighting oppressors and tending to the land to prevent the imbalances that are unfortunately still present now.” says Priya Handa, featured artist in the show. In partnership with the South Asian Radical History Walking Tour, Handa will create a large-scale painting and installation dedicated to commemorating South Asian environmental activists.
The opening reception to Sowing Agency will take place virtually on April 30 at 6PM PDT, followed by a virtual after party and social gathering. In addition to taking place at the SOMArts Main Gallery, an immersive virtual walk-through of the exhibition will also be available online.