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Unapologetically Asian

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Julia Kwon, born Arlington, VA 1987
Exhibition Label
Julia Kwon created this face mask using bojagi, a Korean style of patchwork. As a Korean American textile artist from Northern Virginia, her work explores notions of gender and identity. She made the Unapologetically Asian masks in response to anti-Asian racism and violence during the pandemic.
“I became deeply aware of how I may be misperceived not only as a perpetual foreigner, but, now during this pandemic, also as a carrier or cause of the COVID-19 virus. I felt tired and frustrated by the pressures to exist quietly and invisibly. So, I decided to create vibrant Korean patchwork face masks to unapologetically celebrate my ethnic identity.” —Julia Kwon
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund
Copyright
© 2020, Julia Kwon
2020
Object number
2021.1
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Medium
Korean silk, cotton canvas, muslin, elastic
Dimensions
folded with elastic loops: 5 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 3/4 in. flat with elastic: 5 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
On View
Renwick Gallery, 2nd Floor, Room 203
Renwick Gallery, 2nd Floor
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Record ID
saam_2021.1
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7923e7a73-ad77-4949-aa57-e66564e35f9f
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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