Scratching at the Moon
Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

The Model Minority myth that arose in response to historical events surrounding Asians and Asian Americans during the Second World War has been hard to shake. Not only is the stereotype incorrect as applied against a wide-ranging category that includes 24 million people as of the last US census, it is also harmful, pitting Asians against other immigrant or minority groups. The range of cultures, generations, concerns, topics, and mediums presented and represented by the disparate group of 13 artists included in “Scratching at the Moon” proved that Asian Americans are far from a monolith—at the same time, bonds, friendships, and a sense of community among the artists were apparent. 

Artist and guest curator Anna Sew Hoy conceived of the exhibition during the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the public turmoil surrounding the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police officers. As such, several of the artworks echo unsettling themes of fear, death, and unrest. Patty Chang’s We Are All Mothers (2022) features a video of a scientist performing a necropsy on a dead baby porpoise. We watch the scientist’s tender yet clinical swabbing and slicing of the animal’s still luminous skin while listening to Chang narrate contemplative thoughts on death and motherhood, placing the often-opposing dichotomies of life/death and hope/fear intimately adjacent to each other.