Over the past year, attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have increased more than 150% compared to the previous year. They all fit a long history of racial prejudices against Asian Americans that make discrimination and violence against them more likely.
Artists for #StopAsianHate is an initiative to raise funds in support of Stop AAPI Hate. Bringing together a group of works committed by various artists and makers of Asian descent, this nonprofit organization leads the fight against anti-Asian racism and hate crimes in our communities. Their works are currently on view at Yi Gallery.
Artists for #StopAsianHate
In response to anti-Asian violence in the U.S. over the last several weeks, the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate have been circulating on social media sites, and artists have been leading the charge in promoting awareness and taking action in combating this hate.
First conceived in early March 2021, Artists for #StopAsianHate was promptly launched thanks to the artists who have committed works to the exhibition.
On View
The exhibition brings together works by eight artists and makers of Asian descent, working in a range of mediums.
A sculptor coming from Northeastern China, Siyuan Tan utilizes tangible media and forms to explore tensions between two coexisting but "opposing" spaces - the real space and empty space. A Taiwanese-Canadian multidisciplinary designer based in NYC, Ivy Chen creates concepts, silhouettes, and prints. Sophia Chizuco, a Japanese-born and Brooklyn-based artist, is part of the Immigrant Artist Program, acting as a mentor at the New York Foundation for the Arts.
A Beijing-born photographer, Haochen Yu, takes photos of strangers he meets on the street, in parks and on subways. A multimedia artist working in painting, sculpture, installation and video, Cecile Chong addresses ideas of cultural interaction and interpretation. A South Korean-born artist, GJ Kimsunken creates paintings and works on paper that approximate the figurative while digging deeper to uncover our shared capacity for transcendence. A Malaysian-Chinese artist based in the US, Sijie Loo draws from traditional Chinese ink painting techniques. Finally, the art of Meer Musa is inspired by spirituality, nature, and people, creating artwork from a state of presence.
Fundraising Exhibition at Yi Gallery
On display and for sale on Yi Gallery's website and through the gallery's Artsy online viewing room, the works range in mediums and price points ($125 - $2,200). After deduction of any share of proceeds to be retained by the artists, and reimbursement of nominal fundraising expenses, all proceeds will benefit Stop AAPI Hate Organization, founded in 2020 in response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
