Gem Box: Hope Wang, Dylan Rose Rheingold, Lanyi Gao, Xingzi Gu, Jess Xiaoyi Han, Huidi Xiang

In the heat of the summer, LATITUDE Gallery is hosting an exhibition titled "Gem Box”, featuring six female artists - Hope Wang, Dylan Rose Rheingold, Lanyi Gao, Xingzi Gu, Jess Xiaoyi Han, and Huidi Xiang. Their works embark on a one-of-a-kind creative journey and celebrate the artistic diversity of femininity. The show collects an assortment of recent pieces, from multimedia pieces and installations to textiles and easel paintings, from 6 young Asian female artists concentrating on women's identities through various lenses. The opening reception will be hosted from 6 to 8 PM on July 16th, and the exhibition will last for a month to August 14th. The eponymous Artsy online showroom will be on view till the 14th of September. 

Gem Box, by its literal meaning, suggests a collection of valuables. The show is a collection of priceless awakenings from a group of young Asian women who delineate and treasure their identities. The collection is versatile and fluid just as identities themself - alluded by the changing colored glaze shined through gems. While “Gem” is an emphasis on the shared core preciousness of the artists’ awakenings, “Box” is directly punning and, more importantly, reclaiming the concept of female genitalia. Hoping to express ourselves and empower this Asian-female-run community, we invite you to look at the world of femininity through the six unique lenses offered by Gem Box.

One crucial compass to navigate among the pieces in the show is the diverse notions of femininity. Navigating the complexities of multiple identities that seem to converge with more and more public strife, the artists collected in the show present strength, malleability, and nuance. Hope Wang draws on such tensions through depictions of transitory spaces such as abandoned buildings and industrial sites, weaving material illusions that imbue subjects with warmth and rich narratives. Lanyi parallels the radical literal slogans and words to the cute cartoon characters. While clashing visuals and concepts are shared among all the pieces collected in the show, the multiplicity of perspectives expressed in different pieces is intended to mirror the diversity and intersectionality in female identities. Putting the show together, our curatorial team hopes to recognize the contradictions of the multiplicities in young female artists’ life and expand the contemporary idea of intersectionality in femininities.

The show is also our attempt to be on the ball in regard to the recent political events both US domestically and internationally. We feel the importance of addressing the topic, especially recently when the strong aroma of feminity is filling the air in our gallery for the expected newborn. By listening to and recognizing the young woman out there, we wish to empower more and greet the becoming of the new. 

Upcoming exhibitions at LATITUDE Gallery include the solo exhibition by Yanyan Huang, and curated group show collaborating with Guest Curator Qianfan Gu.