Alexander antai Hwang
class of 2023
Alexander Antai Hwang is a writer, drawer, and skater from the San Francisco Bay Area. After receiving a BA in Economics with a minor in Art History and Visual Culture Studies from Whitman College, he completed an MA in Visual and Critical Studies at California College of the Arts, and was subsequently awarded a Collection and Archive Fellowship at 500 Capp Street (The David Ireland House). As a 1.5 generation Korean-Chinese-American, Hwang draws inspiration from the rich and ongoing history of Asian American art and culture in order to break cycles of trauma and generate new ways for Asian Americans to grow and thrive.
Alex’s Thesis
Transgressive Motion: Glitched Being in Na Mira’s Night Vision(Red as never been)
In “Transgressive Motion: Glitched Being in Na Mira’s Night Vision(Red as never been)”, I aim to weave my personal experiences of loss and grief with Na Mira’s search for her great grandmother and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Mira’s video installation piece breaks down the barriers of the body and enmeshes them within each other. As Korean-Americans, both Mira and I share a history of traumatic ruptures that have sought to cut us off from the past. Through a visual analysis of Mira’s video installation, I learn how I might be able to move across space and time to recognize the presence of my ancestors.