LOS ANGELES — Taking a stroll down Chinatown’s Chung King Road, visitors may encounter a surprising and timely art exhibition on display in many of the local businesses’ storefront windows.
Called "Womxn In Windows," the show features works by a culturally-diverse collective of women artists, bringing their powerful voices into the public sphere at a time when many museums and galleries remain closed, or limited, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the second year of the exhibition which was founded and curated by Zehra Ahmed.
“The whole premise of women on Windows is obviously to talk about global cultural exchange,” said Ahmed of the women-made art films on display which includes works by Kya Lou, Rikkí Wright, Christine Yuan, and Rémie Akl among others. Sylvie Weber's film, The Prophetess, follows two women from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a narrative which the artist calls a statement on global sisterhood.
“The two women in this specific film are victims of sexual terrorism,” said Ahmed. “And they still get through their everyday life and they come out in the most joyous way possible.”
The work of the participating artists is available 24/7 for safe browsing along the Chung King Road corridor. Sound elements are easily accessible by scanning QR codes via smartphone.
Kilo Kish is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work “Blessed Assurance” makes links between the creative process and spirituality.
“Most of my art is really just asking questions,” Kish said. “I'm a super curious person and [I’m] really asking the question, Where do spirituality and creativity intersect?”
Kish said she likes the pop-up and easily accessible nature of the exhibition, that anyone can just stumble across these artworks unexpectedly and have an experience. She said 2020 has been a pivotal year in the direction of her own work in both the visual arts and in her music.
“Because so much has happened this year, there are new things to say,” said Kish. “There are new things to address. It's changed the way that I'm going about my projects now.”
Ahmed said the cross-cultural conversations between the artists and their work highlights the idea that individual differences can help nurture societal strength.
“You know, all of these artists’ ideas or questions are essentially the same,” Ahmed said. “Their perspective and their ideas are different. In seeing that, you can essentially come to your own conclusions, but also learn a little bit about how someone else thinks. That idea is more relevant now than it might have been in 2019.”