2022 Recap: Osmosis Exhibition

During November, I was part of OSMOSIS, an exhibition which highlighted the art of guards in New York City’s most acclaimed museums. The show ran from November 11-13 in Art Cake and was presented by Gentle Cowboys and organized and curated by Gabriel Sehringer. Highlighting the rich artistic lives of cultural workers within museums is a valuable resource in creating personal connections to communities which institutions serve.

Art of the Guardians Panel Discussion at the Smithsonian

It was an honor to be a part of the “Art of the Guardians” panel discussion at the Smithsonian on Tuesday, October 18, as part of the National Conference on Cultural Property Protection. The session explored how creativity and a love for the art that guards protect enabled museum security personnel to respond to, endure, and recover from the most acute challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Panelists from The Metropolitan Museum included my colleagues Lambert Fernando @lambfern, Jevijoe Vitug @jevijoe, Emilie Lemakis @emiliebunnyl, and Louisa Lam.

During the discussion I mentioned that what I've learned to value during this difficult time is the complex humanity of my colleagues who deserve respect and admiration beyond being a body in a uniform. We've learned to look out for each other more and care at a deeper level. We have learned that each of us have rich lives and artistic visions that is in itself an untapped living cultural asset within museums. Through their lived experience, museum workers’ provide a valuable educational source that would further inspire and connect visitors to the art within cultural institutions. 

Featured in The Met Museum's Perspectives

An edited transcript of Abang-guard’s performative talk on Asian American Modernism accompanied by recordings of Louisa Lam’s poems is featured in The Met Museum’s Perspectives.

Video Projects in The Met Museum’s Art Work Exhibition

I’m excited to be part of The Met Museum’s Art Work: Artists Working at The Met exhibit highlighting museum workers with two collaborative video projects including artists Jevijoe Vitug and IV Castellanos. The show is part of a long-standing tradition of art worker creatives sharing their work within The Met community since 1935 and will be open for viewing to the public for the first time. The exhibition runs from June 6-19, 2021

Artists on Artworks at The Met : Abang-guard

Thrilled that Jevijoe Vitug and I as Abang-guard will be doing a performative lecture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We will be discussing works by four Asian American artists in the museum’s collection specifically Bumpei Usui, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Isamu Noguchi, and Martin Wong as well as creating a cross-dialogue through movement to poems by writer Louisa Lam.