By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Looking for good art and good conversation? Look no further than the Lynnwood Event Center.
From Jan. 21 to June 20, the event center’s exhibition, “The Light and Shade That Made My Name: Celebrating BIPOC Women Behind the Camera,” will display the photographic works of eight BIPOC women artists. The exhibit is free and open to the public, whenever the center is open.
The artists selected range from very experienced to just starting out. Some have been working in the creative professions for years. Others have never had their work publicly displayed before.
“I like the idea of having a more intimate show,” said show curator Mary Adams. The exhibition will be limited to one floor, she said, and guests will have “thoughtful time” with each work. “We want people to really look at these people, look at their work, and really see what they’re saying.”
The center put out a call for art late last year. From the pool of applicants, the center chose those pieces that, together, showcase a variety of subjects. “Light and Shade” aligns with the Center’s dedication to diversity and equity, and highlights artists who may be underrepresented.
For the American public, the mythology appears to be that of the adventurous, white male photographer out in the wilds, or in a war zone. Yet women and people of color do the same thing.
Sunny Martini. Courtesy of Sunny Martini.
Sunny Martini is a professional photographer who specializes in capturing live music performances. She said she was inspired by a Paramour concert.
“I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a kid,” she told the Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW).
Martini’s biological father used to buy her cameras, but she did not realize it could be a job until college, where she first studied to be a pharmacist.
As a child from an interracial family—her mother is Thai and her adoptive father is white—Martini was expected to choose something more traditional, like becoming a doctor or lawyer.
“It’s a very cultural thing,” she conceded. “You want your kid to grow up to be well off.”
Martini set out to prove that she could follow her love for the arts and also make a living. It wasn’t always easy, she said. Martini told the NWAW that as a BIPOC female photographer, she has found herself “wanting to prove a point, wanting to show I belong there without being aggressive”—to show that she is equal, she said.
Martini also loves to photograph animals, and supports the LGBTQ+ community through her art.
Jackie Oh. Courtesy of Jackie Oh.
Jackie Oh, one of those new to showing her work in exhibitions, described the camera as an extension of her hand. It was during a photographer’s trip to Mongolia that Oh leaned into her passion for photography. She enjoys taking photos that include people. Even in the case of a beautiful landscape, Oh will inject a human element and “draw out emotion.”
Oh told the NWAW of a day her daughter was “bummed out.” Oh couldn’t resist grabbing the camera.
“I loved the way the light was falling on her face,” she recalled.
“Did you just take a picture of me?” Oh recalled her daughter asking.
“I can’t help it!” Oh answered.
Oh will be featuring a photo caught by chance in the exhibition. It’s an image of a Kazakh woman milking a mare—something rarely witnessed by outsiders.
Before this exhibition, Oh thought of her photos as “shared memories” that she had rarely shown even to her family. Now, “it’s a different path for me.”
Both Martini and Oh emphasized the importance of having a creative outlet. Women especially, Oh believes, hold things inside.
“We care about so many things and we take care of others,” Oh said. “Often, we forget that we ourselves have these sides of us that other people don’t get to see.”
“Follow your heart,” said Martini. “If you fall, you can get back up.”
An artists’ reception, open to the public, will be held at the Lynnwood Event Center on Apr. 15. This exhibition is made possible with the support of The District, Lynnwood.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.