March 5th – April 25th, 2020
ArtXchange Gallery is proud to present Sense Us 2020, a juried group exhibition celebrating the rich contributions that immigrants and their descendants have made to the Pacific Northwest and our artistic community. This exhibition will coincide with the United States Census activities in April 2020, which is mobilizing advocates around the importance of understanding the diverse people and communities that comprise our country.
Ten years ago, ArtXchange Gallery and La Sala: A Latinx Artists’ Network debuted Sense Us 2010, a group exhibition exhibiting ten Latino/a/x artists from the Pacific Northwest and challenging the invisibility of these artists in the region. A decade later, the topic is still relevant, timely and needed in a political climate that misrepresents and marginalizes many immigrant communities. For March and April of 2020, ArtXchange Gallery presents Sense Us 2020, an expanded concept highlighting the stories and perspectives of artists from some of the Pacific Northwest’s immigrant communities.
Some exhibiting artists present work sharing their immigration stories, such as Somali artist Hawo Ali’s painting, “The Lion and the Bull,” which represents the hopes, dreams, dangers and realities that immigrants experience. Other artists explore and celebrate their cultural heritage, such as Romina Del Castillo’s intricate straw marquetry on panel that reinterprets traditional Peruvian textiles, or Chicano artist Jake Prendez’s celebratory portrait of his friend, Los Cafeterias vocalist Daniel French, titled “Native to The Land.” Painter Hiba Jameel from Iraq and Mexican-American photographer Jennifer Arlem Molina explore the present moment, showing works referencing the political struggles that immigrants and people of color face. Filipino-American artist and photographer Carina del Rosario’s community-based series “The Passport Project” explores the different ways people identify and categorize themselves, rejecting the traditional ‘boxes’ society ascribes.
Exhibiting in the gallery are Hawo Ali, Juan Alonso-Rodriguez, Emi Burns, Eric Chan, MalPina Chan, Romina Del Castillo, Carina del Rosario, Tatiana Garmendia, Chau Huynh, Hiba Jameel, Kamla Kakaria, Eliaichi Kimaro, Fiona K. Lau, Cheryll Leo-Gwin, MiYoung Margolis, Jennifer Arlem Molina, Hugo Moro, Teruko Nimura, Jake Prendez and Cheryl Zahniser. The extended digital edition of the show also includes Lana Blinderman, Olga Bolgar, Jayashree Krishnan, James Kurihara, Yachun Peng, Shima Star and Valentina Voronkova.
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