Minor Feelings is a group exhibition curated by artist An Ye Zhi de Jong. The exhibition brings together four artists who each explore their Asian identity in their own unique way. The works of Đăng-Vũ Đặng, Honey Birch, Linhuei Chen, and An Ye Zhi de Jong invite visitors to reflect on the ways identity is shaped, lost, and reclaimed.
This exhibition takes its departure from the book of the same name, Minor Feelings, by Cathy Park Hong. The term refers to the emotions experienced by people with an Asian diaspora, migration, or adoption identity within the society in which they grow up and live. These are feelings of frustration, shame, doubt, or invisibility, arising from everyday experiences with stereotyping, racism, or cultural alienation. They are not “minor” because they are insignificant, but because they stem from a minority position and are often dismissed by the majority as untrue or unimportant.
The works in the exhibition explore and question these Minor Feelings. What does it mean to grow up between different cultures? Who decides where and with whom you belong? And how do you shape an identity when parts of your history are missing, fading, or filled in by others? Through film, installations, photography, and sculpture, the artists create a space for these questions. This exhibition opens up room for Asian identity as a source of reflection, recognition, and pride.
This exhibition was developed as part of the Artist in Space programme. The programme offers emerging artists from the Northern Netherlands guidance and support in developing their artistic practice, in collaboration with various contemporary art platforms across the region. Artist in Space is supported by the Mondriaan Fund and We The North.
