East of the West: part of the 11th Annual United States of Asian America Festival May 3, 2008

Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center with co-curators Taraneh Hemami & Anuradha Vikram ask 'how can we understand a region as diverse and far-ranging as the Middle East?'

Curators Taraneh Hemami and Anuradha Vikram pose this question to a selection of artists with roots in the Middle Eastern region, and beyond. A wide range of visual art media is used to interpret themes such as religious, ethnic and cultural diversity; the roles and status of women and queer or transgendered persons within traditional cultures; and the changes to self-identification that immigration engenders.

This exhibit is open May 1 -24 (Tues - Fri 2-7pm and Sat. 1-5pm) at SomArts Bay Gallery.

Corresponding with this exhibit is a PANEL DISCUSSION: THE LOCATION OF IDENTITY, moderated by Berin Golonu, Associate Curator of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Wed. May 14 (7-9pm) at SomArts Bay Gallery.

The 11th Annual United States of Asian America Festival is a six-week celebration of the Silk Road Diaspora's deeply influential artistic culture. From free visual art exhibits to affordable theatrical premieres and other events, this one-of-a-kind festival celebrates the creative voices and the diverse range of exemplary Asian Pacific Islander American artists that call the Bay Area home.

Exhibit highlights are: East of the West visual art exhibit about the complex diaspora of the Middle East; THE COOKING SHOW (May 8-18) a theatrical joyride and live cooking show that the Associated Press called "a globally flavored recipe that packs some punch lines." A retrospective exhibit of Flo Oy Wong's ground-breaking artworks...and so much more! Check out the whole schedule on somarts.org

Information: (415) 864-4126

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of NEQA.