Betty Yu
Join us for an artist talk and conversation celebrating the launch of Betty Yu’s new art and photography book, Family Amnesia: Chinese American Resilience. Co-hosted by Magnum Foundation and Daylight Books, the evening will begin with a short reading by Betty Yu, the artist will then be joined by Rochelle Kwan for a conversation about the uncovering of family roots and the intergenerational memory work. The evening will end with a Q&A and book signing. Light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday, July 24th | 6:30 to 8:00 PM
Doors open at 6:00 PM
59 East 4th St, 7W | New York, NY 10003
About the book:
“Family Amnesia is a visual tribute and love letter honoring my Chinese American family roots in the U.S. The art book explores my family's multi-generational resilience and resistance through mixed media collages, my grandfather’s photographs, my own captured images and archival material. The book project honors the past and current lives of Asian Americans and immigrants in the U.S. by examining the incalculable and traumatic impact that historical events like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act continue to have on the Asian American experience. This is a painful part of our American history. I am reclaiming that narrative through my own personal family’s story. The book will feature my grandfather’s role as a founding member of the Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance of NY, my mother’s plight as a garment worker who became a labor organizer, and my sister’s legacy as a community activist. I know my family story is not unique. It is part of the larger collective Asian-American immigration experience.” — Betty Yu
About the presenters:
Betty Yu is an award-winning filmmaker, socially engaged multimedia artist, photographer and activist born and raised in NYC. Yu integrates documentary film, photography, installation, new media platforms, and community-infused approaches into her practice. Betty’s films and multimedia work has focused on labor, immigration, gentrification, abolition, racism, militarism, transgender equality among other issues. She is a co-founder of Chinatown Art Brigade, a cultural collective using art to advance anti-displacement fights. Ms. Yu's documentary "Resilience" about her garment worker mother fighting sweatshop conditions screened at film festivals including the Margaret Mead Film Festival.
Her work has been exhibited and screened at the Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum, Artists Space/ISP Whitney Museum, NY Historical Society, Museum of the City of NY, The Highline, Tenement Museum,, 2019 BRIC Biennial, Apexart, Pace University Art Gallery, Transmitter Gallery, 601 Artspace, Open Source Gallery, Five Myles, Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center, Bullet Space, Carriage Trade, Old Stone House and MAXXI in Rome. @bettyyu21
Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan (aka yiuyiu 瑶瑶) is a cultural organizer, artist, and oral history educator homebased on Lenape land in NYC's Manhattan Chinatown. She takes on her childhood name yiuyiu 瑶瑶 as a guardian & DJ historian for Chinatown Records 華埠錄音, alongside her family, neighbors, & so many loved ones. As a community-taught & -powered DJ historian, she has the most fun bringing the music out of the archive onto the streets for Chinatown Block Parties and training up our next generations of DJ historians of all ages. In tandem with this work, Rochelle leads oral history projects and training with Think!Chinatown and community classrooms all over, so we can all learn to look to our loved ones to pass down, learn, & celebrate our histories together. Tune in with us: @rochellehkwan @chinatownrecordsproject
Magnum Foundation is in an elevator building and has a restroom that is wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral. For access requests or questions, please contact events@magnumfoundation.org.
Masks are currently encouraged, but not required.
Magnum Foundation events are made possible by the Henry Nias Foundation and our Circle of Friends. .
