In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Brentwood Arts Exchange is hosting “Borderless,” a mixed-media art exhibit, to explore themes of identity, migration and cultural fluidity, through May 30. On the first floor of the gallery, viewers can take in vivid oil portraits, 3D masks and found-object installations as they reflect on how heritage, contemporary experiences and art help us to transcend borders.
Exhibit curator Akemi Maegawa, a ceramics artist and art teacher originally from Japan, aimed to host AAPI artists who challenge boundaries — both literal and conceptual.
“I think the AAPI Heritage Month is a perfect time to reflect on Asian American history and culture. I believe that many Asian Americans have been contributing to this country economically and culturally more than we know,” Maegawa told the Life & Times.
The exhibit includes portraits, installations, sculptures and woodblock prints from artists Mei Mei Chang; Julia Chon; Jeff Huntington, who goes by the name Jahru; Jun Lee; and Tang. Countries represented among the artists include Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines.
On May 9, the “Borderless” artists gave a talk at the gallery as part of Gateway Open Studios Tour, a one-day annual art event spanning Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville.
The artists explored several border-related themes, including language and cultural limitations they experience as immigrants, borders between family members, intercultural connections with strangers while traveling, and internal borders of the psyche.
Portrait artist JAHRU first began painting when he was 8, using his father’s oil paints. He described the creative process as being like a “crack addiction.”
“You get a really powerful high and you want more, but it is never the same,” Jahru said. “Eventually you find a new drug.” His drug of choice changed from painting to paper-making, then to collaging by combining finished pieces and, most recently, to painting murals with street artists in Brazil.
Following his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Jahru wondered how his portraits might appear to someone with a disjointed memory or perception. He experimented with repainting the same face at a different angle on top of a finished portrait, creating what he calls a “dichotomy of organic human form with geometric patterns.” The result is a dynamic Picasso-esque kaleidoscope effect, bursting with color and movement.
Chang said she was interested in exploring the borders of the mind with her modernist installation of cardboard, fabric and yarn built specifically for the exhibit space. Clusters of squares and rectangles screwed directly into the wall are connected with colorful string and fabric, creating a montage reminiscent of the lacey woven neurons of the brain.
With her background in visual art and photography, Chang said her work strives to go beyond the awareness of her consciousness and bring what is there to life.
“I have always translated the topographical maps of the mind onto multilayered and patterned surfaces,” Chang said. With this installation, she aimed to create an effect of “nostalgic memory among chaos.”
Drawn to the mysteriousness of the psyche, Chang said, “This is the source of my art, and I can only express it in a language that transcends words.”
Lee, a District-based printmaker who renders animals to explore themes of everyday life, created a display of 16 coyote-shaped heads intricately collaged with earth-toned floral prints.
After this past Halloween, Lee found a dog-shaped mask in her neighborhood, which reminded her of the Asian masks of her childhood. Working with masks this past year also helped her to connect to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity she has observed locally.
“I saw how ICE kidnappings were affecting children. I was heartbroken about this,” Lee said.
She said that the animal theme connected her to her own inner strength as an immigrant.
“My story is not just my story, but the story of immigrants, people of color, women — we all share the same pain, but we move forward,” Lee said. “I share the strength of the animal. I call it my fire — not a grudge, anger or sorrow, but the history we don’t share often.”
Art enthusiast Stephanie Reidy, who drove up from the District to attend the artist talk, said she related to Lee’s sentiment.
“I feel that,” Reidy said. “What is happening in our country today with ICE taking away people and trying to make this into a white culture — it’s absolutely incredulous. Supporting the arts and freedom of expression is so important right now. By attending events like this, I feel I get to do my little part.”
Lee also described how her artwork has helped to break down borders within her own family. With her parents in South Korea and Lee having lost some fluidity with Korean language and culture since she began living in the U.S., Lee said that in-depth conversations with her family can be challenging. But when her mother came to see an exhibit of hers in 2022, she saw Lee’s printmaking passion and gave Lee her blessing.
“That’s when the border between me and my family began to crumble,” Lee said.
The Brentwood Arts Exchange, at 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, welcomes diverse audiences to experience high-quality visual art exhibitions, concerts, affordable arts classes for all ages and a local artisan craft store. For more information, visit the Brentwood Arts Exchange website at arts.pgparks.com/facilities/brentwood-arts-exchange.
Jessica Arends is the arts, culture and lifestyle columnist for the Life & Times.