4A TALKS // Sophia Cai: Art, craft, collective solidarity and fandom culture

Event

A woman with long black hair in a white blouse and yellow full-length skirt stands on a street outside a gallery glass front, looking at a yellow knitted sweater with sleeves knitted to be 1.5 metres long. The decal sign on the glass front reads 'Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not A Virus. 15 April - 15 May'

When

Thursday, 13 May 2021, 8:00am

Curator, writer and knitter Sophia Cai speaks with producer Mariam Arcilla from 4A about the mobilising power of art, craft and fandom culture, and how embodied writing, teaching, hobbies, and K-pop have shaped Sophia’s practice. During the conversation, Cai discusses racism, self-care, mask politics, and using the colour ‘yellow’ as a reverse cultural signifier through her hand-knitted work Safety Yellow Woman, which featured in the exhibition Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not A Virus.

Held in May 2021 as part of Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not A Virus, presented by 4A and Diversity Arts, the talk was broadcasted via 4A IG Live from the unceded Lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.

Access the transcript

Artists

Sophia Cai

Event recording

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art · Sophia Cai: Art, craft, collective solidarity and fandom culture

Event video

Associated Exhibition

A colourful spread of earthenware sculptures imitating a spread of fruit, savoury snacks and East or Southeast Asian-inspired desserts. The spread features multicoloured fortune cookies, glutinous rice cakes, cakes rolled in shredded coconut and green, pink and red sticky rice cakes cut in the shapes of diamonds. Above this spread is a blue wall hanging embroidered with a fictional pink logogram.

Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not a Virus, Part 1

15 April – 15 May 2021

4A @ Darlinghurst

More info

Top image: Acute Actions: Responses To I Am Not A Virus (installation view), 2021, 4A @ 101-111 William Street, Sydney. Right: Andrea Srisurapon, Covid Clean, 2021, photographic print. Left: Sophia Cai, Safety Yellow Woman, 2020-2021, handknitted wool garment – adult size, yarn support provided by Fancy Tiger Crafts. Photo: Kai Wasikowski for 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, courtesy the artists.