How Representation Shapes Social Identity

In the age of exponential information and the increasingly polarizing times that we live in, where everything, everyone and every “reality” can be represented or misrepresented depending on a multitude of factors(including but not limited to cognitive biases), there needs to be more RE Presentations in all formats of media and expressions  in the physical and the digital that lead to thoughts, words, actions and life experiences that bring us ALL together along common ideals and aspirations, instead of dividing us further apart along superficial differences.

With one of the few original prints of the US constitution currently being displayed only a few miles away from this exhibition, this experience ponders on how far the aspirations of our founding fathers has come and how much further along we are capable of taking it. "We The(m?) People" aims to create a micro-safe-space to help the audience contemplate the founding preamble to the US Constitution while juxtaposing inequalities being experienced by what we are taught to see to be the “other” or “the(m) people”.

By re-presenting art from diverse groups of local, national and international artists, the Curator seeks to create a safe space of free speech to help drive conversations around the various ideologies on diversity, equity, inclusion, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, income, age, mental health, history, social justice, politics, foreign policy, sustainability and climate change to name a few. The only constant reminder being our innate universal desire to truly BELONG among an ever growing world of differing variables diving people apart.

The Preamble of the United States of America, sets the tone, purpose and guiding principle for the rest of the Constitution to CONTINUE to PURSUE a MORE perfect union, ESTABLISH Justice(for ALL), insure domestic TRANQUILITY, provide for the COMMON defence, promote GENERAL welfare, and secure the Blessings of LIBERTY to ourselves and our POSTERITY(future generations). This aspiration is more relevant than ever before and should be the anthem and bedrock of all our thoughts, conversations, actions and attempts in creating a better America and a better world, starting with ourselves.

Artists: Allan Paulose, Anna Guyton, Casey Riggs, Chantal Greese, Cory Corbett, Dai'Tryon McKinney, Dananjaya Edirisinghe, Darney Willis, Denzel Washington, Giuditta Rustica, Hitesh Gilder, KJ Paulose, Kinya Christian, Lian Xu, Maria Ting Yi, Mariana Falcon, Priya Kapoor, Rajani Gowtham Guggilam, Ronan Azulay, Sachie Yoshino, Saima Jamil, Shakeelah Rahmaan, Surabhi Priji Suran, Takoya Marks, Thomas Lockhart, Tina Ngo, Vlamdmir Votkovsky, Xue Lee-Vang