Dreaming Together
The official exhibition book for a landmark exhibition at the New-York Historical Society Museum, New York.
Design A Nation.
Published on the occasion of the landmark exhibition, ‘Dreaming Together,’ at the New-York Historical Society, that for the first time showcased the institution’s historic collection with contemporary art from and about Asia, to generate dialogue about the multicultural history of the United States. More than 35 interwoven works explore how individuals, past and present, navigate through diversity and racism.
Designed with the community of New York in mind, during one of the most tumultuous year (2020), the book pushes a simple but compelling thought: that together, our dreams can change reality.
This limited-edition publication is landscape in format and features a bare linen cover to suggest a flag waiting to be designed. It is an empty canvas that wants its owner to pick up a Sharpie, a paintbrush, a spray can, any mark-making tool to represent his/her flag. These personalized designs will be showcased in a digital exhibition by the New-York Historical Society in 2021.
Get your copy of the exhibition catalogue here.
Selection of Personalized Covers
"I picked up a sharpie and started drawing lines. Imagining the typical borders a flag would have. On one land area, I used long expansive lines. On another land, I used perpendicular strokes, a different population if you will. Stars appear in the negative space only because a kind of chaotic blending of lines. I drew in freehand because no one is perfect." Ken Tan
"I painted a monkey carelessly playing with an explosive. The character comes from my animation Lotus, which is a commentary on the relationship between power and corruption." - Shiva Ahmadi (image courtesy of Shiva Ahmadi and New-York Historical Society)
"After digitally combining two recent abstract paintings, I removed much of the resulting composition to create an open flowing space, a metaphor for the ability to dream without obstruction." - Lisa Bloomfield (image courtesy of Lisa Bloomfield and New-York Historical Society)