Title: Examining the Impact of Urban Remodeling on Minority Communities in San Francisco’s Chinese Culture Centre
San Francisco’s Chinese Culture Centre (CCC) has long been a cultural landmark in the heart of the city’s historic Chinatown. However, recent plans for a major overhaul of the city’s public spaces and facilities have raised concerns about the impact on minority communities, particularly in light of the city’s history of urban planning at the expense of racial minorities.
The exhibition Present Tense 2023: Perilous Playground at the CCC aims to address these concerns and shed light on the challenges faced by marginalized communities in the face of urban remodeling. The exhibition features the work of 11 artists and collectives from around the world, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a pop-up stall by the Hong Kong collective Wang Chau Tin Yuen. The collective was formed in response to the controversial demolition of historic rural villages in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, to make way for development projects. Through zines, photo albums, posters, and souvenirs, the collective raises awareness about the consequences of capitalist commodification and ecological abuse.
Another thought-provoking piece in the exhibition is the virtual-reality video by Singaporean collective Post-Museum. The video explores the impact of urban sprawl on Singapore’s historic cemetery for Chinese immigrants, Bukit Brown. The decision to bisect the cemetery with a major road resulted in the exhumation of thousands of graves. Post-Museum’s video immerses viewers in a play about a ghost, an activist, and a bureaucrat, highlighting the loss and displacement caused by development.
The exhibition also features the work of San Francisco-based filmmaker collective Lucky Rabbit Pictures, who present a dystopian animated short film titled Bridge to Everywhere. The film imagines a world ruled by an immortal pigeon, which honors the dreams and trauma of a Chinese immigrant. Through humor and storytelling, the film explores themes of migration and the resilience of marginalized communities.
The curators of the exhibition, Clara Cheung and Gum Cheng of C&G Artpartment, bring a global perspective to the issues faced by San Francisco’s Chinatown. Having recently left Hong Kong due to concerns about creative dissent, Cheung and Cheng understand the importance of addressing power disparities in urban planning and advocating for community input.
Perilous Playground serves as a reminder that the development of urban spaces often comes at the expense of the poor, dissidents, and minority communities. Through art, the exhibition encourages dialogue, raises awareness, and calls for inclusive urban planning that takes into account the needs and voices of all community members.
The exhibition will be open for public viewing at the Chinese Culture Centre of San Francisco until August 10, 2024.
