One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now
19 September - 23 December 2007
University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA)

The exhibition is accompanied by artists' talk, poetry reading, panel discussions, ... bampfa.berkeley.edu

fig.: Xavier Cha: Shrimp (poster from the Human Advertisement Series), 2004; digital C-print; 24 x 18 in.

The exhibition presents with more than thirty works (paintings, drawings, and sculptures to photography, performance art, and video installations) the view of seventeen Asian American artists - most born after 1970 - on ethnicity and identity. Their work is grounded as much in American culture as Asian culture. The exhibition’s title is taken from the 1978 Blondie hit youtube.com/watch?v=YvA1NCTZZPg and reflects the visible influence of popular culture on these artists’ work.

“The biggest thing we had to address was what constitutes ‘Asian American arts,’” says Susette Min, one of the exhibition curators. “Is it art created by an artist who identifies as Asian American? Is it art created by an artist who has at least one parent who’s Asian? Is it art that has something thematically associated with being Asian in America? Does it have to be politically motivated, or engaged with ‘traditionally’ Asian American issues?”

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