Since it began in 2002, the Queens Museum’s Queens International has highlighted the artistic production of Queens in a major group exhibition approximately every two years. Queens International 2018: Volumes (QI 2018) opened at the Queens Museum on October 7 and runs until February 24.
On November 10, QI 2018 will extend offsite, with art installations in three Queens Library branches: Lefrak City, Flushing, and Central.
In the Lefrak City branch, former Queens Poet Laureate Paolo Javier and musician David Mason present Fel Santos: I of Newtown, a multimedia installation spanning film, video, sound poetry, and music that explores the elusive identity of Woodside poet Fel Santos. Expanding the practice of sound poetry, Fel Santos’ work draws from his immigrant Filipinx history, encounters with the occult, and his mother’s own private language. Through this project, Javier and Mason share the intimacy and innovation of language and communication that is unique to multilingual speakers and postcolonial cultures. The project will run from November 10, 2018 - February 24, 2019 and will begin with public programs at the Lefrak City branch and the Queens Museum.
Mo Kong’s installation in the Flushing branch investigates the designation of the “American” honeybee—which actually originates from Italy—to address issues of migration that affect current international political relations and communities around Queens. Kong, who was born in ShanXi, China, researched the migration patterns of bees and the business of importing and branding Chinese honey in the United States. Kong uses imagery from his research process to explore ideas of community, selfhood, and belonging. The project will run from November 10, 2018 - December 8, 2018 and will be accompanied by workshops at the Flushing branch.
After months of observing the activity of the Central branch, Jackson Heights-based artist Patrick Killoran has developed a project that focuses on the library as a place where social interaction produces knowledge and where the idea of “searching” is embodied. In this spirit, Killoran invites visitors and library users for an experience of discovery and inquiry. The installation is represented as one thing and upon closer inspection is revealed to be something else. By intervening in the space of the library in an unexpected way, the artist aims to expand the already broad scope of creative and intellectual exchange that happens within its walls. The project will run from November 10, 2018 - February 24, 2019 and will start with public programs at the Central branch.
At each location, The People’s Guide to the Queens International—a project by Jackson Heights-based art critic Brian Droitcour and Astoria-based artist Christine Wong Yap—will invite museum visitors and library users to share their responses to QI 2018. Visitors to the exhibition, including the Queens Library installations, can submit their responses through forms at each site and online or participate in one of seven writing workshops facilitated by The People’s Guide. The project is aimed at fostering an atmosphere of generosity, inclusivity, and lively dialogue, with the responses becoming part of the exhibition itself. Forms will be available for the duration of each installation, and writing sessions will be held on November 10 (Lefrak City), December 1 (Flushing), and January 12 (Central).
Learn more about our Nov. 10th Opening Day Events.
This is just one of the great stories you can read in the November/December 2018 issue of Queens Library Magazine. Other articles you may find interesting:
