Exhibit to open our eyes to Asian American issues

Tuesday, March 2, 1999

CAMPUS: Participants feel art best expresses culture, true identity

By Andy Shah

Daily Bruin Staff

A group of Asian Pacific Islander students is holding a protest in Kerckhoff Hall this week, but the sounds of chanting and the sights of political placards are nowhere to be found.

That's because this group, Concerned Asian Pacific Students for Action (CAPSA), is using art as a means of activism with an exhibit titled "A.P. Eyes: Our Family History of Cultural Resistance and Activism."

The exhibit, which opened Monday in the Kerckhoff Art Gallery and ends on Friday, is titled "A.P. Eyes" because CAPSA members say Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) have historically been misrepresented by society as a whole.

"APIs are constantly looked upon and defined by others," said Richard Bis, a sixth-year Asian American studies and political science student. "We want to reappropriate the gaze and define who we are."

The exhibit opened with a reception on Monday. Today, Samahang Pilipino is sponsoring a forum on the U.S. military presence in the Philippines and its effect on women; and Wednesday, CAPSA, in association with Pacific Ties newsmagazine and Pinays organization, will hold an open mic night titled "Kahaniya," which means "stories" in Hindi.

CAPSA members said they chose to present an art exhibit because of the impression it will leave on viewers.

"Art is a cultural expression that gives a vivid perspective that remains with the viewer much longer than just a few words," said Rodney Ferrao, a fourth-year English student.

Ferrao said the phrase "cultural resistance" encompasses rejecting some mainstream ideas.

"It means rediscovering your history and not assuming that one way of life is better than another," he said.

"For example, it means resisting against the idea that teaching in English is the best way for children to learn, or that to be successful in America you have to be a businessman as opposed to working in the community," he added.

Group members are also aiming to break stereotypes of APIs.

"Asian women are often portrayed as overly sexualized and exoticized, or quiet and meek," said Cory Jong, a fourth-year Asian American studies and American literature and culture student. "I know there have been instances where people haven't taken me seriously for those reasons."

CAPSA members said that by showcasing pieces by a variety of artists, they hope to debunk the myth that all API cultures are "exotic."

"Mainstream society will take small aspects of our cultures, like henna and Chinese character tattoos, and turn them into popular art," Ferrao said. "It's marketed as foreign and exotic, and is demeaning to the true value and nature of such cultural expressions."

The artists and speakers participating in the exhibit cover a wide range of identities: Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, South and Southeast Asian, multiracial and gay and lesbian, among others.

An example of one piece of art that is on display is Ferrao's collage, titled "Gone With the Wind," which he said deals with resisting the loss of identity in a society which propagates assimilation and materialism.

Bis said each artist's contribution to the exhibit is helping CAPSA reach its goal of providing a broad representation of the API community.

"The artwork and poetry bring out the artists' personal experiences," he said. "That's what we want to show - the personal connection to issues and activism."PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin

Kristina Sheryl Wong's "The Doll Project" is one of the pieces at the "AP Eyes" exhibit put on by the Concerned Asian Pacific Students for Action at Kerckhoff Art Gallery.

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