Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art proudly presents EYES WIDE OPEN, an exhibition that introduces viewers to the polyvocal visual narratives of three female artists identifying as both Asian and American: Quynh Vu, HNin Nie and MyLoan Dinh. The punchy, provocative works in this spotlight exhibition individually and collectively create space and agency to reframe and redefine genres, while dismantling associated cultural myths and icons embedded in Western culture.

Loaded with social, political, and cultural undercurrents, these works use iconic imagery that is both familiar and odd; playful and serious; wild and refined. From religious reckoning to sexual innuendo to pop culture, the artists share their intimate responses to the joys and challenges of daily life, sharing mutual sensibility around their dual identities of being female and Asian experiencing life in American culture. Using jarring juxtaposition with unconventional, lyrical composition, these artists successfully and directly challenge the limited ideas around what it means not only to be an Asian woman, but around impressions of what Asian art really is—and perhaps more important, what it is not. Although this exhibition honors Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which ends on May 31, the gallery will continue to honor and amplify voices of contemporary APA artists well into the future.

MyLoan Dinh

HNin Nie

Quynh Vu