Atlanta Contemporary announces Out Loud A Virtual Exhibition Benefitting AAAJ

On View: Thursday, May 6, 2021 – Sunday, August 1, 2021

ATLANTA —May 5, 2021—Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta Contemporary) announces an online exhibition curated by artist Jiha Moon honoring the lives of those lost from the brutal and targeted shootings on March 16, 2021.

Within days of the shooting, Moon reached out to executive director Veronica Kessenich with the idea of presenting an online art sale celebrating Asian American artists with the proceeds benefiting the Asian American Advancing Justice organization. Moon states, “I do not feel the same way as I walk around city of Atlanta. Anti-Asian hate crime increased nearly 150% in 2020 during the pandemic with over 3800 anti-Asian incidents alone with many directed towards women. Now when I go out in public, I am more aware of my surroundings and am fearful of a hate-driven attack.”

Moon, an alum of Atlanta Contemporary’s Studio Artist Program as well as participating artist in the 2019 Atlanta Biennial, is widely admired and respected not only in Atlanta but amongst peer artists. By curating an exhibition of Asian American women, Out Loud, honors the shared experiences and visual language utilized by Asian women and artists. This show serves not only as a way to generate funds for the families of the victims of the shooting but also by being help online during May which is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Out Loud puts the focus on what it means to be Asian as well as brings awareness to the Asian existence. Moon explains, “We are not invisible. It is my honor to be a part of a strong community of Asian women artists who act as a voice and champion of the Asian art community.”

Participating artists include: Namwon Choi, In Kyoung Chun, Melissa Huang, Hannah Israel, Sonya Yong James, Soo Kim, Kakyoung Lee, Nuni Lee, Jiha Moon and Mie Yim. Proceeds directly benefit the AAAJ.

About Jiha Moon

Jiha Moon (b. 1973) is from DaeGu, Korea and lives and works in Atlanta, GA. She received her MFA from the University of Iowa. Her works have been acquired by Asia Society, NY, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, Smithsonian Institute, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, and The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. She has had solo exhibitions at Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC, and James Gallery of CUNY Graduate Center, New York. She has been included in group shows at Kemper Museum, Kansas City, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, The Drawing Center, New York, White Columns, New York, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton. She is recipient of Joan Mitchell foundation’s painter and sculptor’s award for 2011 and Artadia award 2016. Her mid-career survey exhibition, “Double Welcome: Most everyone’s mad here” organized by Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and Taubman Museum has toured more than 10 museum venues around the country until 2018.

About Atlanta Contemporary

Atlanta Contemporary engages the public through the creation, presentation and advancement of contemporary art. Founded in 1973 as Nexus, a grassroots artists’ cooperative, Atlanta Contemporary has since become one of the southeast’s leading contemporary art centers. We play a vital role in Atlanta’s cultural landscape by presenting over 45 exhibitions throughout the year, featuring consequential artists from the local, national, and international art scenes. We are one of the few local institutions that commissions new works by artists, paying particular attention to artists of note who have not had a significant exhibition in the Southeast. We organize 90+ diverse educational offerings annually, unrivaled by other local organizations of our size. We are the only local organization to provide on-site subsidized studio space to working artists through our Studio Artist Program, removing cost as a barrier to the creative process. Visit atlantacontemporary.org to learn more.

All press inquiries, contact:

Veronica Kessenich, Executive Director

veronica@atlantacontemporary.org

Image: Melissa Huang, Split, 2020, Oil on panel, 20"x16"

Courtesy of the artist and Stay Home Gallery