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AsianLens Captures the Vision of 12 APA Photographers

First ever APA photo show to premiere in NYC

Adrian Leung
Special to AsianWeek

In October 2001, Julia Cowling replied to an Internet posting asking if anyone would be interested in organizing an Asian Pacific American photography show. She met Allan Ko, the man behind the idea, and they began working together to create AsianLens, “a nonprofit collaboration whose mission is to promote the visibility of emerging and established Asian American photographers.” AsianLens’ inaugural exhibit opens Aug. 6 at Chambers Fine Art in New York City’s Chelsea area.

The exhibit features 12 APA photographers, ranging from established career photojournalists like Corky Lee to college art students. According to the organizers, though APA artists are appearing in art galleries more frequently, photography is still relatively void of APAs.

Winnie Lee’s “Spain (Bullring Seats).”

Ko added, “I was really trying to put together a community of photographers to showcase feelings, stories and emotions — not only to have the photos but also to create a community with appreciation for unity and diversity within [APA] culture.”

Many of the organizers and artists feel that galleries, rather than exhibiting talented emerging APA artists, promote Asian artists from Asia.

Cowling said, “Asian Americans aren’t shown, but Asians from Asia are because they’re considered exotic. The photography is [often] physically abusive as a product of oppression. And that’s the subject that still sells. Some people like that [image of Asians].”

AsianLens’ press release reads, “Asian American photographers’ work is distinct from that of Asian artists living in Asia. First-, second- or third-generation Asian American photographers are touched by a different set of issues and concerns that explore multiculturalism, immigration, displacement, identity, and ethic self-consciousness.”

Rosey Hong-An Truong, a Vietnamese American exhibitor from Durham, N.C., said, “I know Asian American artists who don’t necessarily deal with ‘Asian American’ themes, but they do always deal with issues that are common for all people of color. This work, up until now, hasn’t been considered Asian American in its themes. I think it’ll expand the notions of what Asian Americans think about and deal with.”

Photography, as a medium, allows a specific kind of communication. Benjamin Sloat, half of an artist duo with Steve Aishman, feels that photography automatically controls belief. “When people look at [a] photograph, people believe it as real — as opposed to other mediums where there’s distortion or translation. The fact that you are able to record something allows people to believe something immediately,” he said. Sloat and Aishman are sharing part of their exhibit “Funny, you don’t look it …” which examines the ideas of multiracialism.

Nancy Choe, an installation artist from Los Angeles who began working with photos more recently, feels more explorative about photography. “For me, it’s more of an exploration. It’s about exploring different issues, trying to see something that’s hidden, trying to open peoples’ eyes to appreciate what’s around them and explore the different possibilities.”

Andrew Bui’s “Once, There Was Waiting.”

Some of the photographers have been taking pictures since they were children. Walter Q. Chin remembers using his Dick Tracy camera while growing up in the Bronx. Other photographers began later: Sloat and Andrew Bui began shooting in their high school senior photo classes; Min Jung Kwak discovered photography after she had gone through a full undergraduate chemistry education in Korea, immigrated to Los Angeles and enrolled in classes at a community college.

The exhibit is consciously an all-APA production, but many of the artists feel there is no essential APA photographer experience. This is the inherent paradox: AsianLens emphasizes the lack of an APA photography experience by doing an all-APA exhibit, featuring a large number of diverse pieces, razing any possibility of a universally shared experience.

Sloat said, “If people label you as an ‘Asian American photographer’ instead of a ‘photographer,’ it can be a problem. The answer is you’re both.”

Bui agreed: “The art people want to be individuals about it. The Asian people want to be Asian about it. The tension is in the artists and the activists.”

He joked, “But we all have slanted eyes.”

Although all the artists are East or Southeast Asian, not all Asian people have slanted eyes. With all the show’s diversity, there is a notable absence of South Asian and Pacific Islander photographers. Cowling attributed it partially to the lack of submissions, but says there’s always room to improve.

“It’s a very apparent obstacle for organizations like us, trying to solicit sponsorships. I think the bigger corporations are looking for something else, more than what we’re trying to do for the community,” Ko said.

AsianLens opens at Chambers Fine Arts on Aug. 6 and features Steven Aishman, Andrew Bui, Walter Q. Chin, Nancy Choe, Iwao Hosoda, Min Jung Kwak, Corky Lee, Winnie Lee, Hidemi Sato, Benjamn Sloat, Noelle Tan and Rosey Han-An Truong. For more information, go to www.asianlens.com.