Exhibition DATES
November 19, 2022 - fEBRUARY 19, 2023
Location
I-HOTEL MANILATOWN CENTER
868 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108
GALLERY Hours
WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY, 1:00-6:00pm
UPCOMING EXHIBITION EVENTS
FEBRUARY 19 - MUSIC PERFORMANCES & CLOSING RECEPTION
All exhibition events are FREE, More info and registration links below!
Questions? Email exhibitions@aawaa.net
This exhibition is part of AAWAA’s efforts to create more opportunities for its Artists Members. If you would like to further support our Membership and programs, please consider joining as a member or donating!
FUNDERS
CO-SPONSOR
In Chinese mythology, the cardinal direction of the west represents a gateway into the unknown where realms of power and possibility thrive. The ladder between heaven and earth – 昆仑山 Kunlun Shan (Kunlun Mountain) – can be found there, protected by myriad hybrid creatures who shield this paradise from unmerited access. This paradise is also the home of 西王母 Xi Wang Mu (Queen Mother of the West), goddess of creation and destruction as well as patron of women. Every year, 西王母 Xi Wang Mu hosts a magnificent banquet and serves the coveted treasures, 仙桃 Xian Tao (Peaches of Immortality), offering her guests a chance to seize the impossible.
Angela Han: West of Paradise highlights work from Han’s notable series including Serpents of Khaos (2020 – present), 50 Mythical Worlds Inspired by 50 Women Composers (2020), The Nine Guardians of Water (2021), Shan Shui (2021-2022), and Realms of Courage: Celebrating Asian Women Composers (2022 – present). Developed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, each series explores the concept of “paradise” within the context of hybrid identities, mirror communities, and yearnings for a “true” home. As a first-generation Chinese-American woman, Han tenderly carries the hyphen that shuttles between *Chinese* and *American* and strives to encapsulate speculative loci amoenus (spaces of safety and comfort) for Asian-American women through the vividness, intricacy, and layered complexities of her paintings.
Speaking as an artist, musician, and educator, Han asks: What does paradise – an idealized space, a “true” home, a fulfilled sense of being - look like for Asian-American women creators? How would thriving within this paradise feel day to day, and in the long-term? What elements are necessary to cultivate this space so that Asian-American women believe they can reach above the stars, overcome the impossible, and push beyond societal expectations? What would it take to build a home where Asian-American women feel respected, cherished, and celebrated as powerful forces of change and transformation?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Photo by Emma Rizzo
Angela Han is a Chinese-American artist, musician, and educator who creates art inspired by music and mythology. Through her paintings, she composes magical worlds steeped in stories of courage and which celebrate the creativity of women. Her work has been featured across the Bay Area, including at SOMArts, Sanchez Art Center, and Arc Studios & Gallery. Han is a recipient of the San Francisco Artist Grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) and is an alum of YoungArts as well as Clinton Global Initiative University. She graduated cum laude from Cornell University with a BA in Music and Psychology.
Learn more: www.angelahanart.com
eXHIBITION eVENTS
Opening Reception & Asian American Arts of the Bay Area Convening
Saturday, november 19 @ 6-9PM
Join us for the the Opening Reception of “Angela Han: West of Paradise”! Light refreshments will be provided..
This event will also coincide with the Asian American Arts of the Bay Area Convening co-presented by APICC.
Get ready for a night of storytelling and world-building as Angela Han regales the audience with Chinese myths that inspired her “West of Paradise” masterpieces. Attendees will be encouraged to use their imaginations to complete her stories and create a speculative paradise that bolsters AAPI creators! A series of engaging prompts exploring the state of AAPI women in the arts in the Bay Area and beyond will follow each story, allowing attendees the opportunity to bring into reality a “true” home for AAPI women artists where they are respected, celebrated, and whole-heartedly supported.
Women’s Workshop: Create Your Own Paradise
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 @ 2-4:30PM
Imagine a space where you are safe, respected, and celebrated. How are your needs being met? In what ways are your hopes being fulfilled? Bring to life this “paradise” that treasures every part of who you are through art & storytelling with artist Angela Han. During this workshop, participants will reflect on a series of thought-provoking questions, engage in a hands-on world-building activity, and story-tell their final creations if they so choose. All materials will be provided. Just bring yourself!
“Women’s Workshop: Create Your Own Paradise” is open to people who identify as women. Workshop is limited to 15 participants, so RSVP today!
Closing Reception & Performance
sATURDAY, February 19 @ 2-3:30pm
Come celebrate the culmination of this exquisite exhibit by joining us for a Closing Reception & Performances! Experience the artwork inspired by paradise for one last time, and enjoy a series of special performances celebrating Asian / Asian-American heritage presented by artist, Angela Han, and composers from the Realms of Courage project, Theresa Calpotura and Julie Zhu.
Light refreshments will be provided.
