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Introduction
In an era shaped by political division, ecological
breakdown, and the commodification of nearly
everything, beauty might seem like an unserious
distraction. But for the artists featured in Beauty is
Resistance: art as antidote beauty is not a diversion
— it’s a purposeful mode of expression. Featuring
36 international artists spanning generations and
geographies, the exhibition challenges the notion of
beauty as mere aesthetic indulgence and reframes it
as a tool for protest, remembrance, and imagination.
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The works in the exhibition loosely follow four the-
matic directions. For the works in Threads of Memo-
ry, fiber is used as a tool to archive personal, cultural,
and collective memory. The works we’ve categorized
as Reading Between the Lines, directly or indirectly
engage with politics, injustice, ecology, and resis-
tance. Works in Radical Ornament reclaim orna-
mentation, surface, and structure as valid forms of
protest and joy. Ritual and Reverence are explored in
works informed by historical practices and traditions.
In each grouping, artists explore beauty’s power
to spark reflection and renewal.
Some messages are forthright. Ed Rossbach’s El
Salvador, composed of camouflage cloth and
stick bundles, offers a direct reference to political
conflicts of the 1980s. Other works speak more
subtly. Glen Kaufman’s Endangered Cities requires
closer reading — silk-screened and woven imag-
es of deteriorating tile rooftops, viewed through
a grid reminiscent of shoji screens, evoke a quiet
yet urgent concern for urban decay in Asia. Some
stories are poignant. Yong Joo Kim’s work em-
bodies the physical and emotional impacts of her
IVF journey. Still others are aspirational. Neha Puri
Dhir and Toshio Sekiji promote harmony — Dhir
by pairing opposites in a single frame; Sekiji con-
structing collages of international newspapers to
advocate for cultural confluence.
Whether addressing political unrest, ecological fra-
gility, or personal journeys, for each of these artists,
beauty is action – a way to mourn, resist, or imag-
ine a better future.
Rhonda Brown and Tom Grotta