Invisible Bodies Exhibition at HUB-Robeson Galleries

The HUB-Robeson Galleries at Pennsylvania State University hosts the Invisible Bodies exhibition, curated by The Border Gallery and Emireth Herrera Valdés. The show explores migrant labor from an artistic point of view will be on view from Octbober 10, 2023 - February 18, 2024.

Invisible Bodies examines the relationship between migration and labor; bringing attention to the overlooked stories of unseen individuals within society. The exhibition displays the resilience, determination and hierarchical structures tied to immigration and race in the U.S. It includes 15 artists who have created socially engaged projects, paintings, sculptures, installations and performances. These works reflect on the demanding nature of labor and its undervaluation.

The exhibition also looks at the gender and racial aspects of migrant bodies as non-citizen workers. These workers play a crucial role in shaping today's society. The gallery's green walls symbolize support for an open immigration system. This allows immigrants to contribute to the nation's labor force. The featured artists include Abang-guard (Maureen Catbagan + Jevijoe Vitug), Bianca Abdi-Boragi, Magdalena Dukiewicz, Brendan Fernandes, Billy Gerard Frank, Zac Hacmon, Julia Justo, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, Jamie Martinez, Zahra Nazari, Michael Pribich, Lina Puerta, Coralina Rodriguez Meyer, Luis Alvaro Sahagun, and Manon Wada.

Handle with Care Performance at 601Artspace

On the final weekend of Invisible Hands, Abang-guard (Jevijoe Vitug+Maureen Catbagan) will be performing Handle with Care with special guests Louisa Lam and AIW home care workers.  The performance will be happening on Friday, Sept 15th, 6pm at 601Artspace, 88 Eldridge Street, NYC

The artists will discuss their works featured in the exhibition, No More 24! May Day Tapestry (2023) and Care Guardian (2023), followed by a meditative participatory performance including poetry by Louisa Lam and stories from AIW home care workers. 

Louisa Lam holds an MFA in Creative Writing, Poetry, from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in Queens and works as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her writing and poems have been published in New York Magazine, The Greensboro Review, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Perspective web series.

Ain’t I a Woman!? (AIW) is a campaign led by immigrant women home care workers organizing against 24-hour workdays in New York City. 

Invisible Hands is an exhibition curated by Emireth Herrera Valdés and highlights works by Abang-guard (Jevijoe Vitug+Maureen Catbagan), Margarita Cabrera, Brendan Fernandes, Jay Lynn Gomez, Zac Hacmon, Jamie Martinez, Patrick Martinez, Dulce Pinzón, Hernando Restrepo, Luis Alvaro Sahagun, and Betty Yu. Curated by Emireth Herrera Valdés. The show will be on view from July 22 - Sept 17, 2023 at 601Artspace on 88 Eldridge Street.

Invisible Hands Exhibition at 601 Artspace

601 Artspace presents Invisible Hands, an exhibition highlighting works by Abang-guard (Jevijoe Vitug+Maureen Catbagan), Margarita Cabrera, Brendan Fernandes, Jay Lynn Gomez, Zac Hacmon, Jamie Martinez, Patrick Martinez, Dulce Pinzón, Hernando Restrepo, Luis Alvaro Sahagun, and Betty Yu. Curated by Emireth Herrera Valdés, the show will be on view from July 22 - Sept 17, 2023.

Invisible Hands features ten artists from a wide range of backgrounds who engage with the theme of domestic labor. Some are descendants of migrant domestic laborers who reckon with the legacy of this work in their family history, and some have directly performed domestic work themselves. Others look at domestic labor as part of a broader interest in narratives of immigration, labor, activism and resistance. Through socially engaged projects, sculpture, installation, performance, photography and painting, Invisible Hands illuminates hierarchical structures of class and race in the US as well as the resilience of domestic workers within these structures who sacrifice  to support their families and who organize in solidarity for fair wages and greater rights.