We are pleased to present Another's Table, on view from the 20th of January 2021 on the Textile Arts Center website.
Another's Table features the works of Junior Fernandez, Katrina Majkut, Triton Mobley, Cong-Tam Nguyen (TAC AIR Cycle 11), MJ Tom, and Xia Zhang and is curated by TAC AIR Cycle 11 alumna Melissa Joseph.
When we exist within structures that are not built for us, we are forced to become parasites, surviving in host bodies. In Greek, one translation of parasite is “eating at another’s table.” Non-dominant groups of all kinds experience this phenomenon daily, in ways that are intentional and internalized. This show embodies that experience. The selected artists all contemplate how to work within inhospitable systems in ways that are productive and sometimes subversive. The “parasitic” works confront controlling ideologies in society and the arts.
A misconception of parasitism that I hope to challenge through this exhibition is the notion that parasites offer nothing of benefit to the host. In Classic Greek and Roman theatrical performances, Parasites played important roles in advancing plot lines and laying bare truths. Both parties are simultaneously dependent and useful forming a complex knot with a goal of survival tugging on both ends.
Xia Zhang (She/Her)
The Thoroughness of Your Seediness
Video (still) | 2015
Full Video: https://vimeo.com/498580682
With this pairing being generationally recycled in Western media, we’ve inadvertently internalized the desire of the “masculine” white man and the proximity to perceived power. In my attempts to understand it, my romanticization of love became this gruesome object no matter how I try to suture it whole again. (2/2)
Triton Mobley
BARS + TONES
Video (still) | 2021
Full video: https://vimeo.com/501000579
In this latest project the artwork BARS+TONES offers a shared methodology and reimagining of the limitations of allowable hexadecimal browns in constructing digital images of blackness. This project uses a programmed image processor to superimpose the defined sixteen hexadecimal brown swatches over a series of collected images of black bodies in an attempt to reconcile both sources. This project is representative of a series of research and praxis interventionist works that aim to foster new conversations on the future of digital technology design and computation. Reimagining obfuscation tactics for working–class resistance within a digital delay—fabricated through art hacktivist [jugaad] outputs. (2/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Throne
Mixed media assemblage | Dimensions variable. Approximately 54 x 24 x 36 inches | 2020-2021
I often find myself considering what is just out of reach: what once was, what could have been, what happens next.
My current work is informed by the things in my life that I have and have not been able to see, touch, hold, know, embrace, and/or reject. I advocate for the uncharted discoveries we encounter when we dream of new worlds and new realities--discoveries with genuine and tangible applications to our own lives, whether or not they are advantageous or positive or productive in a conventional [labor-glorifying] manner. (1/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Throne (detail)
Mixed media assemblage | Dimensions variable. Approximately 54 x 24 x 36 inches | 2020-2021
In the work that I am presenting for "Another's Table," Asian-American moon moths center themselves. This is a vast family of moths with dozens of species on two continents separated by an ocean, but only two of these species are present in the work: the Pink Spirit Moth (Actias rhodopneuma) of mountainous Indochina, and the Luna Moth (Actias luna), found all across North America. These moths lack functional mouths; they cannot eat and only exist to mate and reproduce. Their lifespans last up to one week. Prescribed with a will to ensure their collective survival, they cannot nourish themselves even if they wanted to.
To define others as "eating from another's table" is to assume that one is driven by their own hunger. (2/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Throne (detail)
Mixed media assemblage | Dimensions variable. Approximately 54 x 24 x 36 inches | 2020-2021
Cong-Tam Nguyen ((They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 1
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, earth pigments, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton; inkjet print, vinyl, and ink on cotton; found pins, keychains, and charms; polyester thread; grommets; button snaps | 23 x 32.5 inches | 2020
I often find myself considering what is just out of reach: what once was, what could have been, what happens next.
My current work is informed by the things in my life that I have and have not been able to see, touch, hold, know, embrace, and/or reject. I advocate for the uncharted discoveries we encounter when we dream of new worlds and new realities--discoveries with genuine and tangible applications to our own lives, whether or not they are advantageous or positive or productive in a conventional [labor-glorifying] manner. (1/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 1 (detail)
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, earth pigments, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton; inkjet print, vinyl, and ink on cotton; found pins, keychains, and charms; polyester thread; grommets; button snaps | 23 x 32.5 inches | 2020
In the work that I am presenting for "Another's Table," Asian-American moon moths center themselves. This is a vast family of moths with dozens of species on two continents separated by an ocean, but only two of these species are present in the work: the Pink Spirit Moth (Actias rhodopneuma) of mountainous Indochina, and the Luna Moth (Actias luna), found all across North America. These moths lack functional mouths; they cannot eat and only exist to mate and reproduce. Their lifespans last up to one week. Prescribed with a will to ensure their collective survival, they cannot nourish themselves even if they wanted to.
To define others as "eating from another's table" is to assume that one is driven by their own hunger. (2/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 1 (detail)
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, earth pigments, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton; inkjet print, vinyl, and ink on cotton; found pins, keychains, and charms; polyester thread; grommets; button snaps | 23 x 32.5 inches | 2020
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 2
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, organic indigo, polyester thread, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton (naturally dyed with avocado pits) | 27 x 21 inches | 2020
I often find myself considering what is just out of reach: what once was, what could have been, what happens next.
My current work is informed by the things in my life that I have and have not been able to see, touch, hold, know, embrace, and/or reject. I advocate for the uncharted discoveries we encounter when we dream of new worlds and new realities--discoveries with genuine and tangible applications to our own lives, whether or not they are advantageous or positive or productive in a conventional [labor-glorifying] manner. (1/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 2 (detail)
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, organic indigo, polyester thread, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton (naturally dyed with avocado pits) | 27 x 21 inches | 2020
In the work that I am presenting for "Another's Table," Asian-American moon moths center themselves. This is a vast family of moths with dozens of species on two continents separated by an ocean, but only two of these species are present in the work: the Pink Spirit Moth (Actias rhodopneuma) of mountainous Indochina, and the Luna Moth (Actias luna), found all across North America. These moths lack functional mouths; they cannot eat and only exist to mate and reproduce. Their lifespans last up to one week. Prescribed with a will to ensure their collective survival, they cannot nourish themselves even if they wanted to.
To define others as "eating from another's table" is to assume that one is driven by their own hunger. (2/2)
Cong-Tam Nguyen (They/Them or He/Him)
Prayer 2 (detail)
Ink, acrylic, vinyl, soymilk, organic indigo, polyester thread, and pigment print heat transfer on cotton (naturally dyed with avocado pits) | 27 x 21 inches | 2020
Junior Fernandez (He/Him)
the tent that is our earthly home
inkjet print, candle wax | dimensions vary | 2020
Junior Fernandez' interdisciplinary practice inhabits and critiques the convergence of queer politics and engagement with the built environment. Rooted in the idea that the landscape is an expression of dominant political power, Fernandez looks for tactics of subversion through the unfolding of slippages between actuality and projection (what is and what could be) to undermine consolidated systems and flip historical narratives.
Junior Fernandez (He/Him)
the tent that is our earthly home
inkjet print, candle wax | dimensions vary | 2020
Junior Fernandez' interdisciplinary practice inhabits and critiques the convergence of queer politics and engagement with the built environment. Rooted in the idea that the landscape is an expression of dominant political power, Fernandez looks for tactics of subversion through the unfolding of slippages between actuality and projection (what is and what could be) to undermine consolidated systems and flip historical narratives.
Junior Fernandez (He/Him)
the tent that is our earthly home
inkjet print, candle wax | dimensions vary | 2020
Junior Fernandez' interdisciplinary practice inhabits and critiques the convergence of queer politics and engagement with the built environment. Rooted in the idea that the landscape is an expression of dominant political power, Fernandez looks for tactics of subversion through the unfolding of slippages between actuality and projection (what is and what could be) to undermine consolidated systems and flip historical narratives.
Katrina Majkut (She/Her/They)
Preggo Rewards Card DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kit collaboration with Aimee Gilmore
Paper, thread, needle, signed instructions, Aida cloth in plastic bag | 11 x 8.5 inches | 2019
The DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kits are artistic collaborations by those who, as women are part of the gendered history of textiles and domestic chores; however, are also part of a demographic that has been denied complete acknowledgment within the Colonialism and sexism of embroidery or their chosen kit subject. The kits are a platform for those artist to modernize embroidery by making it more inclusive and into an outlet of change by bringing attention to systemic social abuses and denials of self. The kits also invite makers to use the kit as their own personalized platform to speak their truths, demand recognition, and to express their needs for social justice.
Kit collaborator: Aimee Gilmore @aimee_gilmore
Katrina Majkut (She/Her/They)
Preggo Rewards Card DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kit collaboration with Aimee Gilmore - Cross Stiched Sample
Paper, thread, needle, signed instructions, Aida cloth in plastic bag | 11 x 8.5 inches | 2019
The DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kits are artistic collaborations by those who, as women are part of the gendered history of textiles and domestic chores; however, are also part of a demographic that has been denied complete acknowledgment within the Colonialism and sexism of embroidery or their chosen kit subject. The kits are a platform for those artist to modernize embroidery by making it more inclusive and into an outlet of change by bringing attention to systemic social abuses and denials of self. The kits also invite makers to use the kit as their own personalized platform to speak their truths, demand recognition, and to express their needs for social justice.
Kit collaborator: Aimee Gilmore @aimee_gilmore
Katrina Majkut (She/Her/They)
Mixed Race Card DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kit by Julie Marie Seibert
Paper, thread, needle, signed instructions, Aida cloth in plastic bag | 11 x 8.5 inches | 2019
The DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kits are artistic collaborations by those who, as women are part of the gendered history of textiles and domestic chores; however, are also part of a demographic that has been denied complete acknowledgment within the Colonialism and sexism of embroidery or their chosen kit subject. The kits are a platform for those artist to modernize embroidery by making it more inclusive and into an outlet of change by bringing attention to systemic social abuses and denials of self. The kits also invite makers to use the kit as their own personalized platform to speak their truths, demand recognition, and to express their needs for social justice.
Kit collaborator: Julie Marie Seibert @Ubuntu_designs
Katrina Majkut (She/Her/They)
Mixed Race Card DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kit by Julie Marie Seibert
Paper, thread, needle, signed instructions, Aida cloth in plastic bag | 11 x 8.5 inches | 2019
The DIY Counted Cross-Stitch Kits are artistic collaborations by those who, as women are part of the gendered history of textiles and domestic chores; however, are also part of a demographic that has been denied complete acknowledgment within the Colonialism and sexism of embroidery or their chosen kit subject. The kits are a platform for those artist to modernize embroidery by making it more inclusive and into an outlet of change by bringing attention to systemic social abuses and denials of self. The kits also invite makers to use the kit as their own personalized platform to speak their truths, demand recognition, and to express their needs for social justice.
Kit collaborator: Julie Marie Seibert @Ubuntu_designs
Katrina Majkut (She/Her/They)
Beer: Land of Hopportunity
Cross-stitched thread on Aida cloth on aluminum beer can | 3 x 6 x 4 inches | 2020
"Beer is a food staple at the American dinner table and festive events. People toast to good health and each other, but who is really included and celebrated in American beer culture. For example, most brew masters are men; beer is stereotypically a man's drink. With Sam Adams adorning a cold one, beer's ties to masculinity and American culture are undeniable. Likewise, embroidery is a stereotypically feminine craft done historically and exclusively by women. By cross-stitching a beer can, I am both highlighting gender disparities in American, consumer, and drinking culture and also demanding a place in it. However, the video artwork's uncomfortableness draws on how those marginalized by masculine, American culture are awkwardly expected to conform to the existing culture instead of it making space and accepting the marginalized person for their independent selves.