AT THE TABLE WITH CHRISTIE’S
Christie’s unites with Civil Art, a New York-based non-profit organisation to uplift marginalised communities through art and literature by hosting a fundraiser featuring 30 contemporary AAPI artists and a cookbook including recipes from artists, designers, scholars and more.
At The Table, a privately selling exhibition, curated with the purpose of fundraising, took place at Christie’s Rockefeller Centre Galleries in New York from 20th June to 1st July. The exhibition was presented in collaboration with Civil Art, a New York-based non-profit organisation dedicated to raising the voices of marginalised communities through arts and literature. The proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Heart of Dinner, an NYC-based organisation that works to fight food insecurity and isolation experienced by the elderly Asian American community.
The exhibition was co-curated by Sarah Han, Director at Harper’s; Ho Jae Kim, Artist and Co-founder of Civil Art; and Rachel Ng, a Post-War and Contemporary Art Cataloguer at Christie’s in New York. It featured 30 contemporary AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) artists including Dominique Fung, Mikey Yates, Amanda Ba, Yuri Yuan, Hiba Schahbaz, Sahana Ramakrishnan and more.
In addition to the exhibition, the curators also released a cookbook eponymous with the exhibition, which features 46 family recipes of artists, chefs, scholars, and gallery directors, which now stands as a written supplement and published memory of the exhibition.
At The Table began as a small-scale project, but as the core team unfurled their mission, it garnered an overwhelmingly positive response from all directions. At The Table, as a project, became the zenith of a community effort, thanks to the contributions of artists, scholars, curators, entrepreneurs, editors, and designers; all of whom donated their services, time, and hearts. Soon after, Agnes Lew from East West Bank met the core members and welcomed At The Table‘s proposal with open arms, offering the bank’s institutional backing. The East West Bank provided all of the funding for At The Table: The cookbook, the private dinner event, and the book launch.
Co-curator Sarah Han says “The idea for At the Table was conceived about a year and a half ago during the pandemic when hate and violence against the AAPI community was sharply on the rise. Ho Jae Kim, artist and co-founder of Civil Art, felt a cocktail of emotions – anger, frustration, sadness, and fear among many – but was not able to find publicly available resources that provided moments of empathy and support. These devastating incidents continue to happen, and it is always difficult to understand how to feel and cope when learning about these tragedies. Kim longed for support that could assure his sense of self and his cultural identity.”
The project ensued after Kim made a proposition to Christie’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in February 2021 through Matthew Capasso (formerly Christie’s CSR, now a director at Gurr Johns Capital). Sarah Han joined the team to curate and facilitate interactions with artists, while Rachel Ng was appointed as the principal liaison for Christie’s CSR.
Their exhibition featured a diverse array of artists from the Asian diaspora and across media. Han elaborates, “For our curatorial process, we wanted to ensure that we were representing a broad spectrum of the Asian diaspora – this meant not only expanding our horizons beyond the limits of New York City but also presenting artwork by artists that spoke to the diverse experiences of the diaspora. Some of the artworks in the exhibition explicitly draw from cultural heritage, while others speak to contemporary experiences. We wanted the selection to encompass the beautiful practices that span across all media, whether it was sculpture, painting, or mixed media, and give voice to the rich cultures and even the quotidian moments of life through the lens of AAPI.”
Acclaimed artist Hiba Schahbaz, who participated in the exhibition, showcased an oil painting entitled ‘Self Portrait after Nauman’.
As an Asian woman, Schahbaz goes on to explain why fundraisers such as At The Table are close to her heart. Schahbaz says, “I was born in Karachi, Pakistan and I live in Brooklyn, New York. The oil painting Self Portrait after Nauman in this exhibition is based on Bruce Nauman’s photograph Self Portrait as a Fountain. I love the community aspect of this exhibition. I am socially-minded and I believe that energy and resources should flow through the community to uplift society as a whole. As an Asian woman who grew up in Pakistan, I come from a society where we venerate and take care of our older generation. I am deeply grateful to have lived in a household where my grandfather was an important family member. As a child, it was my duty to check on him after dinner, give him his supplements and make sure he was comfortable. I find it heartwarming and a blessing to see young Asian people in New York carrying on this way of life, upholding our values, and spreading love.”
The event received a triumphant response to which Han responds, “Overall, the response has been incredible. The tickets to the reception (proceeds also going to Heart of Dinner) were sold out within three days. The cookbooks were sold out within two days of the book launch event, and Civil Art is currently taking in preorders for the next round of prints. Additionally, there has been a tremendous amount of support and inquiries regarding the private sale of the artworks in the exhibition – we’re thrilled to have placed many of the works with some incredible collections.”
Civil Art plans to continue embracing the sentiments and stories of the AAPI community in its pursuit of long-lasting institutional change, and its initiatives will continue to serve its charitable objectives to make sure that those in the AAPI community with critical needs are cared for.
Text by Shreya Ajmani
Image Courtesy: Christie’s and Hiba Schahbaz
Find more about the artworks and the auction:
https://www.tidawhitneylek.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tammowhammo/
