Art at a Time Like This to Present Fall Program EXCELSIOR Featuring 8 Artists

On September 6th, Art at a Time Like This will present its fall program, Excelsior, short films and videos by Asian and Asian diaspora artists of diverse backgrounds, curated by Job Piston. The online exhibition-featuring 8 artists-will be simultaneously presented at www.artatatimelikethis.com and www.nowness.com.

Excelsior-named after the starship led by Captain Sulu of Star Trek and meaning 'onward and upwards' - is a public presentation curated by Job Piston featuring artists of Asian descent in visual and live arts. This exhibition coincides with the launch of the fall season and The Armory Show.

This exhibition embodies the diversity of experience and outlook of 8 artists, from the video essay of Astria Suparak, underscoring the absence of Asian actors in blockbuster Hollywood films set in Asia to Lu Yang's powerful alter ego, DOKU. On view is a wide range of Asian American and Asian diaspora artists who defy adversity or familial history through the use of constructing new mythologies, alternate realities, and cinematic dreamscapes. They paint a multinational landscape inhabited by fictional, or at times dystopic, heroines. Fabled empresses, fashionistas, pop singers, queer goddesses, genetic nurses, and a digital avatar take viewers on a journey into a world that blends reality with fantasy.

Featured artists include: Astria Suparak (b. U.S., lives in Oakland), Bobby Yu Shuk Pui (b. Hong Kong, lives in Norway), Christa Joo Hyun D'Angelo (b. South Korea, lives in Germany), Joshua Serafin (b. Philippines, lives in Belgium), Kang Seung Lee (b. South. Korea, lives in Los Angeles), Lu Yang (b. Shanghai, lives in Shanghai), Prumsodun Ok (b. U.S., lives in Cambodia), Yu Cheng-Ta (b. Taiwan, lives in Taiwan) and Ming Wong (b. Singapore, lives in Germany)

Job Piston is a curator, artist, and artistic director based in New York City and Los Angeles. He is known for his expertise in producing new multidisciplinary artworks examining identity and gender politics in a biennial format with artists in visual arts, photography, video, and live performance.

As a curator at Performa Biennial, Piston has organized performances by visual artists including Barbara Kruger, Tania Bruguera, Zanele Muholi, Sara Cwynar, Kia LaBeija, Shikeith, and Korakrit Arunanondachai with Alex Gvojic and boychild. He presented the program TIME SHARE which juxtaposed archival performance material with video art, digital media, dance, and protest performances. Piston has produced independent projects with Jacolby Satterwhite, Hayal Pozanti, Charlap Hyman & Herrero, recording artist Tinashe, and a mixtape program with Jessica Silverman Gallery. Piston received his MFA at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BFA at the California College of the Arts. He is on advisory committees of The Bronx Museum of the Art, Downtown4Democracy, and Baxter Street at Camera Club of New York.

Art at a Time Like This is a 501c3 not-for-profit arts organization that serves artists and curators facing the 21st century, presenting art in direct response to current events. Now, celebrating its third year in operation, ATLT has addressed a wide range of issues, from the pandemic and George Floyd's murder to mass migration in Latin America and global warming. It has provided a platform for artists caught in crisis, from Mexico, India, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Ukraine and the U.S. mass incarceration system. Our mission is to present artists and curators as thought leaders, envisioning our world in ways surpassing the imagination of politicians.

NOWNESS is a global video channel screening the best in culture, a movement for creative excellence in storytelling celebrating the extraordinary of every day. Launched in 2010, NOWNESS' unique programming strategy has established it as the go-to source of inspiration and influence across art, design, fashion, beauty, music, food, and travel. Our curatorial expertise and award-winning approach to storytelling is unparalleled. We work with exceptional talent, and both established and emerging filmmakers, which connects our audience to emotional and sensorial stories designed to provoke inspiration and debate. NOWNESS launched a Chinese-language site in 2012 and NOWNESS ASIA in 2020. Since 2013, videos are available in up to 10 languages-including English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian (simply turn on subtitles on our player).