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An/other NY at
SPRING/BREAK Art Show.
February 28 at 6:26pm · New York, NY ·
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ORGANIZERS OF SPRING/BREAK AND THE CURATORS OF "SHOW MEIN" Last week we were dismayed to find an invitation to “Show Mein,” curated by Lydia Cambron and Chris Held aka JonaldDudd, on Facebook (Jonalddudd presents Show Mein). This public release features a Chinese restaurant takeout container with text in the Chop Suey font, and was accompanied by a post saying “It WILL smell like egg rolls.” Initially, the curators chose to withhold any context for the title and imagery. After publicly posting our concerns regarding this imagery and asking for additional context, we first received a response inadequate to the validity of our lived experiences and which, instead, demanded suspension of our judgment on the basis of purported good intention. We continued to point out fallacies in the response, which still withheld information while shifting the blame and burden of proof to the subjects, rather than the producers, of appropriation. We then received an apology on Facebook admitting to an ignorance of the history of the Chop Suey font, acknowledging our critique of its use (https://goo.gl/zDCD4L), and agreeing to replace the font in light of its problematic history. While we appreciate this first step of corrective action, we feel it is necessary to push this issue into a larger conversation. The problem pertains not simply to the use of a font, but rather to the way in which the show’s organizers failed to account for the specific histories behind the design
sensibilities they were appropriating, and broader systems at work at SPRING/BREAK Art Show and the art world at large that enable offhand stereotypical memes rather than demanding a deeper self-examination of cultural production. The show is problematic when framed by the title and invitation imagery. The exhibition makes no visible attempt to address the real, lived histories behind the origins of Chinese takeout food from a place of informed and sensitive interpretation, instead treating all vernacular culture and design as if it exists on a flat plane, equally devalued according to the logic of “high” versus “low” culture. A stance that takes into account these histories, however, requires real work and commitment to reading the histories. We feel that the absence of Asian artists and curators involved in this particular exhibition, and low numbers of non-white producers in SPRING/BREAK generally, diminishes the ability of the organization to address these concerns. While it is obvious that the title and imagery were intended to be interpreted as fun, they engage in a rhetoric that reinforces stereotypes about Asianness and foreignness at a time when it is, quite frankly, not a very fun time to be a person of color in America. We are concerned because 1) this act was committed and supported by some of our colleagues and peers, 2) this show was accepted into SPRING/BREAK with a problematic title and promotional concept (“to frame the work of seven artist/designers within an aesthetic homage to New York City's Chinese takeout restaurants”) without considering the difficult histories that lie behind these images, and 3) leads us to question larger curatorial decisions made on the part of the art fair about inclusion and exclusion in the agency of representation. The theme of this year’s show is Black Mirror. Unfortunately, “Show Mein” is a crystal clear enactment of the way that Asians in America have historically been mistreated and misrepresented, from seemingly harmless slights like being made the butt of racist jokes, including those that refer to the supposed potency of Asian food aromas, to greater traumas like the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of people of Japanese descent, and U.S.-led wars on Asian lands. Given the continuing marginalization of Asian producers in the arts, and the high profile SPRING/BREAK has developed over the past few years, including such a show has the effect of reinforcing these historic and colonial power dynamics. Asian people and their respective cultures are not open signifiers to be taken and used for a joke or decontextualized
commentary on aesthetics. Such a rear-facing stance, taken by a fair that ostensibly aims to represent a new direction in the art world, is stunning and demoralizing. Given the larger political climate today, and as art professionals whose sole business is serious inquiry into culture as self-aware producers, we feel compelled to issue a call to action. This letter is written with hopes to invite discourse with the curators and organizers of SPRING/BREAK–along with allies and critics–to hear our concerns, and push for greater accountability and inclusivity in future programming. We cannot be content with an uninformed use of histories and imagery, no matter how innocently intended, as these situations contribute to a culture that continues to marginalize Asians, and other people of color, in America. We have each decided to make the art community our home. We are friends and peers, but normalized acts of cultural appropriation, the use of old stereotypes, and the reinforcing of a rhetoric of foreignness contributes to a larger wrong–and in this new era we must demand a higher bar of empathy and awareness. Sincerely, AN/OTHER NY AN/OTHER NY is a group of artists, writers, and curators that advocate for Asians and AsianAmericans in the arts. #springbreakartshow #showmein #jonalddudd
SPRING/BREAK Art Show Art Museum · New York, NY 4,014 people checked in here
SPRING/BREAK Art Show.
February 28 at 6:26pm · New York, NY ·
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ORGANIZERS OF SPRING/BREAK AND THE CURATORS OF "SHOW MEIN" Last week we were dismayed to find an invitation to “Show Mein,” curated by Lydia Cambron and Chris Held aka JonaldDudd, on Facebook (Jonalddudd presents Show Mein). This public release features a Chinese restaurant takeout container with text in the Chop Suey font, and was accompanied by a post saying “It WILL smell like egg rolls.” Initially, the curators chose to withhold any context for the title and imagery. After publicly posting our concerns regarding this imagery and asking for additional context, we first received a response inadequate to the validity of our lived experiences and which, instead, demanded suspension of our judgment on the basis of purported good intention. We continued to point out fallacies in the response, which still withheld information while shifting the blame and burden of proof to the subjects, rather than the producers, of appropriation. We then received an apology on Facebook admitting to an ignorance of the history of the Chop Suey font, acknowledging our critique of its use (https://goo.gl/zDCD4L), and agreeing to replace the font in light of its problematic history. While we appreciate this first step of corrective action, we feel it is necessary to push this issue into a larger conversation. The problem pertains not simply to the use of a font, but rather to the way in which the show’s organizers failed to account for the specific histories behind the design
sensibilities they were appropriating, and broader systems at work at SPRING/BREAK Art Show and the art world at large that enable offhand stereotypical memes rather than demanding a deeper self-examination of cultural production. The show is problematic when framed by the title and invitation imagery. The exhibition makes no visible attempt to address the real, lived histories behind the origins of Chinese takeout food from a place of informed and sensitive interpretation, instead treating all vernacular culture and design as if it exists on a flat plane, equally devalued according to the logic of “high” versus “low” culture. A stance that takes into account these histories, however, requires real work and commitment to reading the histories. We feel that the absence of Asian artists and curators involved in this particular exhibition, and low numbers of non-white producers in SPRING/BREAK generally, diminishes the ability of the organization to address these concerns. While it is obvious that the title and imagery were intended to be interpreted as fun, they engage in a rhetoric that reinforces stereotypes about Asianness and foreignness at a time when it is, quite frankly, not a very fun time to be a person of color in America. We are concerned because 1) this act was committed and supported by some of our colleagues and peers, 2) this show was accepted into SPRING/BREAK with a problematic title and promotional concept (“to frame the work of seven artist/designers within an aesthetic homage to New York City's Chinese takeout restaurants”) without considering the difficult histories that lie behind these images, and 3) leads us to question larger curatorial decisions made on the part of the art fair about inclusion and exclusion in the agency of representation. The theme of this year’s show is Black Mirror. Unfortunately, “Show Mein” is a crystal clear enactment of the way that Asians in America have historically been mistreated and misrepresented, from seemingly harmless slights like being made the butt of racist jokes, including those that refer to the supposed potency of Asian food aromas, to greater traumas like the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of people of Japanese descent, and U.S.-led wars on Asian lands. Given the continuing marginalization of Asian producers in the arts, and the high profile SPRING/BREAK has developed over the past few years, including such a show has the effect of reinforcing these historic and colonial power dynamics. Asian people and their respective cultures are not open signifiers to be taken and used for a joke or decontextualized
commentary on aesthetics. Such a rear-facing stance, taken by a fair that ostensibly aims to represent a new direction in the art world, is stunning and demoralizing. Given the larger political climate today, and as art professionals whose sole business is serious inquiry into culture as self-aware producers, we feel compelled to issue a call to action. This letter is written with hopes to invite discourse with the curators and organizers of SPRING/BREAK–along with allies and critics–to hear our concerns, and push for greater accountability and inclusivity in future programming. We cannot be content with an uninformed use of histories and imagery, no matter how innocently intended, as these situations contribute to a culture that continues to marginalize Asians, and other people of color, in America. We have each decided to make the art community our home. We are friends and peers, but normalized acts of cultural appropriation, the use of old stereotypes, and the reinforcing of a rhetoric of foreignness contributes to a larger wrong–and in this new era we must demand a higher bar of empathy and awareness. Sincerely, AN/OTHER NY AN/OTHER NY is a group of artists, writers, and curators that advocate for Asians and AsianAmericans in the arts. #springbreakartshow #showmein #jonalddudd
SPRING/BREAK Art Show Art Museum · New York, NY 4,014 people checked in here
