“There are times I feel too American to be Filipino, and other times I feel too Filipino to be American,” says Sherwin Rio. “The gloves are an instrument of this fight, but there is no winner between American and Filipino.”
With “Gloves,” the California-based artist provides a visual depiction of his internal battle as a second-generation Filipino-American. The piece is made of Rio’s own Barong Tagalog, the ceremonial shirt of the Philippines, and is featured in Target Gallery’s new exhibit, Passages.
The Torpedo Factory show, which runs January 27 through March 4, highlights the deep-rooted effects of migration on cultural identity through the lenses of immigrants from all over the world. The 16 artists featured in the exhibition are all first, second, or third-generation immigrants themselves.
“For many of us, these are experiences that we’ve had personally,” says gallery director Leslie Mounaime. “A lot of people that we’ve talked to, a lot of artists that we’ve worked with, these are things that have shaped our experience.”
Mounaime says that Passages came at an ideal time. “There’s a lot of controversy going on with the topic of immigration politically right now. This exhibition is a great opportunity to take politics away. Passages will bring a humanizing story to [a] topic which has been so politicized.”
The 22 pieces of art featured were all selected by juror Adriana Ospina, who also serves as the curator of the permanent collection at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington and previously curated the Cultural Encounters: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945–Present traveling exhibition.
The artwork showcased in Passages covers an array of mediums, from free-standing sculptures to interactive videos. One notable piece features a familiar face: President Donald Trump. “Wall, Wall. Wall? Wall. Wall!” is a 48-second video compilation by Jenny Wu of Trump uttering the infamous word.
Wu, a Chinese immigrant and adjunct faculty member at American University, created the compilation after seeing Trump excessively use the word in the media. “I wanted to make something that would poke fun at his promise to build a wall, and the media was my most direct source,” Wu says.
“Growing up, I never cared about politics. I always thought politics were an adult thing. As a foreigner, I now realize politics matter because these lawmakers’ decisions will actually affect me. It’s a privilege to be able to not care about politics.”
Korean artist Wonjung Choi has spent the last 15 years investigating her evolution in the United States as an immigrant. In “Borderless,” Choi uses Western armor to create shoes molded from her feet, inviting viewers to participate in her “nomadic” experience as an immigrant.
Other works, such as Nadia Estela’s “Clase,” comment on socio-economic power. “Clase” is a paper mixed-media collage that contrasts American dollars with Southern American currencies. Estela used her personal narrative as inspiration, as her parents migrated from the Dominican Republic to the United States due to shifting political and economic events in her native country. “I want viewers to understand that migration is politically driven,” Estela says.
Mounaime says the personal stories in each work are engaging. “People are enjoying it and having fun with it. The whole exhibition looks great and has a lot of diverse work, so it connects with a lot of people,” she says.
Passages also includes work from artists Isabella Cruz-Chong, Anne Dushanko Dobek, Abiodun Eniyandunni, Samar Hussaini, Bahar Jalehmahmoudi, Gail Morrison-Hall, Rafael Rodriguez, Kanika Sircar, Marite Vidales, Aaron Wax, Ju Yun and Helen Zughaib.
