FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
This September, millions of people around the world will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by gathering with family, eating sweet treats such as moon cakes, and remembering loved ones. ‘Moon Gazing: A Call to Ancestors,’ is a group exhibition designed to bring ancestral heritage into conversation with the present. Inspired by the work of the late painter, printmaker, and professor Chen Lok Lee (1927 – 2020), Romana Lee-Akiyama, Lee’s daughter, curated this exhibition to explore contemporary expressions of identity for Asian and Asian American artists connected to Philadelphia, as well as the tensions that underrepresented and systemically excluded artists with hyphenated identities face.
This immersive experience will feature work by nine artists who were tasked with responding to the legacy and work of Chen Lok Lee, whose selected works are the centerpieces for the exhibit. Visitors will experience soundscapes, visual works, and stories from those longing for connection.Themes of ancestry, identity, spiritual longing, and impermanence flow into the supporting programming designed for youth: a reading from award-winning poet Michelle Myers’ middle-grade debut novel ‘Talk Me a Story About Moon Rabbit’ and accompanying hands-on story-writing and culturally influenced crafting workshop.
Lee-Akiyama is the Michelle Angela Ortiz fellow at the Da Vinci Art Alliance and her exhibition marks a year of work through the program. “I’m thrilled to be partnering with such a diverse and immensely talented group of artists, who each have a powerful voice in expressing their Asian/Asian American identity through their work. My father is no longer here to nurture all of our talent, but he’s imparted his spirit on me to keep inspiring the next generation of artists.” said Lee-Akiyama, a global cross-sector leader at the intersection of social change, equity, community well-being, and the arts and culture.
Lee-Akiyama is the founding director and curator of the Chen Lok Lee Legacy Project, which she established in March 2021 as a homage to her late father whom she lost to COVID. Since launching the Chen Lok Lee Legacy Project, Romana has curated four exhibits in Philadelphia, centering themes of immigration, belonging, anti-Asian hate and violence, and what it means to create “home” for marginalized populations. Chen Lok Lee developed his art over more than 50 years across three continents. Other exhibiting artists: Chenlin Cai, Hanzi, Mel Hsu, Gina Kim, Michelle Myers, Winnie Sidhartha, Hanalee Akiyama, Joon Thomas and Kumaji “Harry” Nakatsugawa.
- On view: September 5 – September 22 in Gallery 2 at Da Vinci Art Alliance (704 Catharine St.)
- Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7 from 4-7 pm
- Honor Your Roots: an engaging workshop for tweens and young teens in partnership with award-winning poet and author, Michelle Myers, Saturday, September 14 from 3:30-5 pm
- Closing Reception and Artist Talk: Sunday, September 22 from 12-2pm
Da Vinci Art Alliance (DVAA) is an intergenerational community space and art gallery with the core mission of Building Community Through Art. We foster an artist membership that both showcases individual voices and encourages collective collaboration, providing monthly exhibitions and programming, all at no cost to visitors. We are open Thursdays – Sundays from 11am-6pm.
Contact: Veronica Cianfrano (she/her), Gallery Director, veronica@davinciartalliance.org