Category: Gallery (Page 2 of 2)

Flo Oy Wong’s collection of works particularly drew my attention. Her history as a “paper person” clearly defines the basis of her art. She was a Chinese immigrant whose mother was refrained from coming to the U.S. by the Chinese Exclusion Act that prevented wives from immigrating into the U.S. Thus, Wong’s mother came into the U.S. under falsified papers that claimed she was her husband’s sister, and the artist had to act as though her father was her uncle. The influence of a fake identity can be reflected in Wong’s works.

The gallery exhibits three pieces of Wong’s works, which I found related and unified to one another. Almost a condoned but an interesting detail, every work has a table of nutrition facts somewhere on it. More specifically, the nutrition facts were of “white enriched rice,” which could be interpreted in multiple ways. At first, I perceived this as the artist’s representation of America’s history of as a “White Man’s World” and that these nutrition facts were some kind of recipe to follow to fit into this description. After all, there were limitation that excluded people of her origin from the U.S. and they had to find alternative way to refine themselves to fit into “the formula.”

However, after taking a closer look, I believe that the nutrition facts aren’t representative of a white man’s world, but of Wong’s own Chinese identity. This food was something that could not be taken away from her, and although immigrating under falsified papers, this was a part of her identity that she kept and carried. In all her works the word “rice” is in bold and enhanced, suggesting significance to her.

The Flomenhaft Gallery’s exhibit “Fabric of America” conveys people’s journeys to finding themselves and their homes, a journey that is paved by their experience coming to and living in America. The artwork of Siona Benjamin caught my interest. The vibrant jewel tone colors first drew me to the art. There was a blue-skinned female as a center figure in all her pieces of art. Learning of the artist’s Indian Jewish background, the chosen skin color of these central females offers ethnic neutrality, inviting viewers of all backgrounds to be the recipients of the artist’s message. The piece of art I chose to reflect on was written in golden letters on the bottom of the art itself as “Directions on how to wear an Indian Jewish Sari.” The blue-skinned female is directly in the center of this piece, clothed in a royal blue sari and is in the process of adjusting her skirt. The bottom of the skirt transforms into a system of blue roots. Beneath the roots is some Hebrew writing. From this imagery, I deducted that the woman proudly wears her Indian Jewish sari, a representation of her culture, and is deeply rooted in her faith and ideals. All around the woman are wispy white threads connecting to images of leaves, eyes, a sword, a rocket/missile, a goat, and a dragon. The complexity of all these images woven together mesmerized me and has had me searching for an answer. Perhaps they are images of the woman’s imagination or stories of her past. One thread stretches as an image of a plug reaching for an electrical outlet. Perhaps the woman is not “plugged in” to her full potential or “plugged in” to all that is happening around her. Above the woman’s head is a golden crescent moon to the left and another human figure on the right. A wispy white thread stretches into the image of a bird flying towards the moon, prompting me to wonder if the white imagery could be the woman’s dreams. The human figure on the right is clothed in some joker-like costume with some green wing-like structures and is grasping an item than looks like a mirror. The woman’s eyes are diverted from this figure, which might represent some evil or something she is avoiding. The message that I received from this artwork was that a woman should stand for and stand by her ideals and faith.