Reconstructing Selves

In Reconstructing Selves, I brought together the work of visual artists Marisa Gallemit and Donald Kwan and documentary filmmaker Gabriela Warrior Renaud, Ottawa-Gatineau artists of Asian descent, to explore the complex issues and creative possibilities that flow from one’s cultural identity: What is the relationship between place and belonging, between diasporas and memory? What is the impact of exclusionary practices on the preservation and creation of our cultures? How do we centre our intersectional experiences within the dominant culture?

Through print, video and installation work, and inspired by their Filipinx, Chinese and South Indian heritage respectively, the artists aim to deepen their understanding and document their own histories, while simultaneously taking an active role in reshaping their narratives and identities, now and for the future.

Presented at Possible Worlds from May 24 to July 28, 2019, to coincide with Asian Heritage Month (May), Filipino Heritage Month (June) and the Chinatown Asian Night Market (July). An artist talk was hosted at Shanghai Restaurant in Chinatown.