Hindsight is FINALLY 2020 😅
It wasn't all easy, it wasn't all good, but it wasn't all bad either – here's to another lap around the sun 🏃♀️💨 We've compiled a quick selection of views 👀 and fun times 💃🕺 and of course... art! Hope you enjoy.
London
January
2020 started in London with Gordon Cheung's prophetic landscapes and opium poppies! 🔭 at his solo show Tears of Paradise, and a trip around Liverpool and the Biennial. 🇬🇧
Los Angeles
February
We traveled to L.A. to check out the 2nd edition of Frieze art fair in the backlots of Paramount. Highlights – sunsets🌅, Getty Villa, Tofer Chin's studio, Iris Project, MadeIn Gallery and a crowded room (haven't seen those in a while!) 😷🧼
New York City 🗽
March
A big heap of good art, good food, and good company! Highlights – Armory Art Fair, Andrew Cornell Robinson, Catalina Ouyang and Xu Guanyu art visits, MoMA and good laughs with Dee and Gianna Kerrison! 🍔🎨
London
March
Got to London just in time for a spin around Borough Market and dim sum at A. Wong 🥟. But before we can settle down for work, the US announced the possible closing of borders...😳🛣
LOCKDOWN!
Home to Chicago...
Virtual
March
We welcomed Rubitta Huang as a new team member at INEZ SUEN! We were all planning to meet in London, but because of the pandemic, we decided to try working remotely from home. Rubitta is a recent graduate from NYU and based in Bali, Indonesia. It was not easy with a 12 hour time difference, but we had a lot of fun along the way 😝🕒🤪🕤😂
Relaunched ICFAC: International Chinese Fine Arts Council!
April
In direct response to the pandemic and a need for Overseas Chinese artists to speak out against COVID-19 instigated racism, we recreated the ICFAC platform virtually on our website, Instagram and Facebook. Rubitta took on the role of Program Coordinator for ICFAC and created an outlet for the creative Chinese Diaspora community and allies across the world! Check us out and join our community 🤝🌏
ICFAC presented our first Dim Sum Dialogues!
May
The first program we launched at ICFAC was Dim Sum Dialogues. We tackled a very prevalent issue, especially during the pandemic: "Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 Racism in the Creative Community" with Dee Kerrison, Dejha Carrington, Karen Tam, Mel Chin, Phil Chan, Theresa Mah and moderated by Inez Suen and produced by Liz Sung. ✊💪
3D Modeling!
June
Lockdown was a great time to learn brush up and learn new skills. 🤓 We delved into 3D printing, scanning, and rendering. ⌨️✨ Looking forwarding to working on 3D projects in 2021 😜
Aktual: Making Money Simple
May
INEZ SUEN joined forces with Rodrigo Valles Jr. and Gilbert Ruiz to create Aktual – financial advisory and business solutions for the creative industry! 👩💼🎨👨💼We are just getting started and so excited to see where this journey takes us. Stay tuned! 📎
Zoom Discussion with Vastari!
July
By summer it felt like we were living on Zoom. Inez Suen and Gordon Cheung joined Vastari CEO Bernadine Brocker for a roundtable discussion about racial biases, particularly in their experience as Chinese Diaspora, and investigating possible solutions. 🔬💡
Launching Spaces of Exchange on ICFAC!
July
We were so happy when independent curator of Triptych Arts, Jacqueline Kok contacted ICFAC to host Spaces of Exchange, an online initiative in collaboration. Each session is a conversation between two arts professionals of different areas and backgrounds, with one moderator. Topics include myths and legends, gender roles, sociocultural influences, and FOOD! 🍚🍲🥡🥢
More 3D modeling!
August
Did somebody say SketchUp!?!?!?? 🏢🖊From studio to museum spaces, we love planning spaces in 3D. This was super helpful for zoom screen share presentations 👩🏻💻
Chicago art outing (arting)!
September
After months in lockdown, Dee and Gianna Kerrison met Inez for a fun and safe outing in Chicago! 🧼
We visited Amoako Boafo's solo exhibition "I Stand By Me" at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery; McArthur Binion's solo exhibitions "DNA: Work" and "Under: Conscious Drawings" at Richard Gray Gallery; and "Temporal: Puerto Rican Resistance" at Museum of Contemporary Photography. 🖼👈😮
And of course, as always, we had good food and good laughs. Great dinner with Dee, Gianna, Monetta White, and Larry Ossei-Mensah! 🍽
ICFAC's second Dim Sum Dialogues!
September
ICFAC's second Dim Sum Dialogues addressed what has been a prevalent issue in the relational and family lives of the Chinese Diaspora creative community with the topic: "Navigating the In-Between: Bridging Cultural and Generational Gaps in 2020".
We were joined by Andrew Wong, Anthony Key, Jenny Wang, Laura Auricchio, and Sin-ying Ho for an insightful and fun discussion on this topic. 🗣🥟
A very cottagecore quarantine
October
After being landlocked for 6 months, the traveling curator finally got to escape! Inez flew to UK and quarantined in a quaint Cornish cottage for two weeks. 🌲🏡🌲It was a good reset (though certainly isolation was nothing new at this point) and recharge for the coming winter and more art! 🔋⬆️Keep scrolling for our art highlights!
Cornwall
October
A visit to Lisa Wright and Mark Surridge's studios with Chippy and Richard of Coates and Scarry! 🏌️♀️
St. Ives
October
A private view of Haegue Yang's solo exhibition "Mundus (World)" at the Tate St. Ives. 👁🔒🗝🔓
Bristol
November
A visit to Chippy Coates studio with Richard Scarry, followed with a walk in the park and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. 🤸♂️🌉
London
November
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2020 (postponed for winter) ❄️featuring Gordon Cheung and Lisa Wright's pieces.
Gordon Cheung Studios by the Thames! 🚣♂️
Sites sites sites!
November
Rubitta spearheaded a project for Plant Chicago – a non-profit organization with a mission to cultivate sustainability and local circular economies to transition to a new website. 🥬🌳🥦🔫We are also happy to announce a new collaboration with Filippo Bruno, aka Willow, a Milan based international neo-pop artist. 🦜💥Stay tuned in 2021!
Virtual exhibition with Cecile Chong!
December
ICFAC sponsored Brooklyn based Chinese-Ecuadorian artist Cecile Chong as part of Pinta Miami with an interactive virtual exhibition! We also hosted an artist talk – "Being Diaspora Artists in NYC" with Cecile Chong, Jairo Alfonso (represented by Coates and Scarry) and Ananda DeMello of Make Art Habit. 👩🎨👨🎨💬
And that's our year in review!