Somewhere Else: Group Exhibition

The Delaware Contemporary continues our initiative to expand our reach in a cultural exchange with Chinese-based artists, designers, and curators. In a joint collaboration with The University of Delaware Chinese Student and Scholar Association (UD CSSA), we will be showcasing an exhibition of photographs from the East Coast Chinese Community. Various viewpoints on the topic of "Somewhere Else" will examine differences in daily life between places, emotional moments of nostalgia, or other narratives that point to the ambiguous and unknown. By exploring issues of identity, cultural barriers and bridges, the exhibition intends to widen the aperture on the lives and talents in the local Chinese community, especially through the lens of early adulthood that often records, discovers, creates, and challenges perspectives.

How does one define homeland? By definition homeland means one's native land, speaking to an intimate familiarity and a sense of security. Many people find themselves floating outside this realm of safety by living, studying, or traveling to somewhere else. Among those individuals finding themselves "somewhere else" are the overseas students, workers, or families from China. They are, or have experienced, moving from native land to somewhere else, from Chinese culture to another culture, only to find the transition initially somewhat disorienting. The Gretchen Hupfel Curator of Contemporary Art, Kathrine Page, addressed this relocation phenomenon like "adjusting to the light" as if exiting or entering from a dark room into the bright light of day.

The curatorial team received hundreds of photo submissions from 68 individual photographers. While all of the works proved inspiring, after several rounds of jurying the curatorial team chose 15 artists with the consideration of content characteristics and artistic impression.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website