DepartmentUnited States & Canada
"Unapologetically Asian"
NameFace mask
Artist
Julia Kwon
(Korean-American)
CultureKorean-American
Datec. 2020
Place madeWoodbridge, Virginia, United States, North America
MediumKorean silk, cotton canvas, muslin, eleastic
Credit LineMuseum of Internation Folk Art, Museum of New Mexico Collection, A.2021.12.1
Object numberA.2021.12.1
ProvenancePurchased directly from the artist
DescriptionMulticolored pink and blue block design face mask. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated racial and economic inequities in the
United States. Mortality rates are disproportionately high among people
of color and violence and discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans
has risen precipitously since the first reported COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, China,
in December 2019. In response to this violence, artist Julia Kwon created her
Unapologetically Asian series of face masks done in the style of Korean bojagi,
or patchwork. Kwon taps into a traditional Korean art form to initiate an
awareness-raising campaign, combat prejudice, and disrupt stereotypes.
She does so by converting the protective mask from a polarized symbol
into an agent of activism.
She writes, “The work is in response to the fact that preventative masks
worn especially by Asian people have largely been perceived as an unnecessary
overreaction, a proof of illness, or an open invitation to commit hate crimes
during the COVID-19 pandemic. . . . [My] work unapologetically embraces [my]
ethnic identity to confront COVID-19 related anti-Asian racism that is prevalent
today. Supporters of the project become active participants as they wear the
masks in solidarity, discuss the project with others, and bring awareness to
the experiences of Asian people as well as other marginalized communities
disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic" (from exhibition label text).
