APAture 2025 Recap
APAture 2025 (UN)BECOMING
photos by Claire Burke
APAture celebrated its 26th year of bringing together an inspiring community of emerging artists for two weeks of performances and exhibitions across the Bay Area. From October 18th to November 8th, we produced four showcases and an Art Fair in venues including Arc Gallery, SOMArts, and Roxie Theater.
APAture 2025 asked artists what they are (Un)Becoming: Being human is to be part of a great transformational journey. By shedding outdated identities and practices that no longer serve us, we create space for personal and collective growth, allowing new ideas to emerge. Through reinvention, we shape how we use art as a tool to heal, connect, and foster positive change.
APAture 2025 kicked off at SOMArts on October 18th, featuring musicians Coraza and acclaimed dancer Megan Lowe, alongside a diverse lineup of choreographers, dancers, and musicians. The Art Fair highlighted talented makers, including ceramicists, jewelers, printmakers, and wellness practitioners, creating a vibrant space for artistic exchange.
On October 22nd, our Literary Arts showcase featured poet Nicola Andrews, celebrating the release of Overseas Experience, their debut full-length poetry collection (Āporo Press). Andrews was joined by an extraordinary group of emerging poets, storytellers, and essayists whose work explored themes of community resiliency, decolonization, and social justice.
The Visual Arts Opening Reception took place on October 25th at Arc Gallery and Studios. Palestinian artist Asma Ghanem presented new large-scale paintings celebrating Palestinian strength and joy and offered insight into her creative practice during her artist talk. The reception also highlighted the work of a diverse group of emerging painters, sculptors, and multimedia artists, showcasing both 2D and 3D pieces, including large-scale paintings, drawings, and sculpture.
Our Film Showcase on November 3rd featured San Francisco-born screenwriter, author, and Drag Story Hour founding queen Kyle Casey Chu, whose accolades include appearances on Vogue, VICE, and MTV. The showcase also included a remarkable lineup of narrative, documentary, and humor-inspired short films.
APAture 2025 concluded with the Visual Arts Closing Reception and Artist Talk at Arc Gallery on November 8th, celebrating the festival’s longstanding commitment to emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander artists. Many thanks to our General Planning Committee, whose volunteer work helped curate and host each showcase, and to our festival co-presenters: ARTogether, Asian American Women Artists Association, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, Decentered Arts, Litquake, and Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
Lehua Taitano, APAture 2025 Coordinator
Participating Artists
Visual Arts
*Asma Ghanem, Eva Agus, Jess Cabaug, Theresa Calpotura, Serena Chen, Diana Yi-Yi Chen, Cristina Edwards, Bushra Gill, Thad Higa, Susan Kitazawa, Cole Lata, Isabel Li, Nicole Shek, Sam Soon, Yuting Wang, Jun Yan, Luochen Zhang
Performing Arts & Music
Coraza, Megan Lowe, Cristina Edwards, Raychel Hatch, Renuka Garg, Zoe Mueller, Noah Ramos, Esther Young
Literary Arts
*Nicola Andrews, Mahru Elahi, Sabina Khan-Ibarra, Ashley Sojin Kim, Linette Kingston, Grace Z. Li, stevie redwood, Danielle Shi
Arts Fair
Eva Agus, godz rising, Isabel Li, New Moon Massage, Slant'd, Stir Fry Stories, Liyang Global Advocacy Network, Jenny Situ Art, For Ina Jewelry, Live Slow Collective
Film
*Kyle Casey Chu, Lark Chang-Yeh, Laura Dudu, Julia Nacario, Chey Yen, and Ginger Yifan Chen
GENERAL PLANNING COMMITTEE
Lehua Taitano (Festival Coordinator)
Marion Corpus
Joanna Malpica
Danielle Shi
Aaron Oculto
Zixuan Liu
Julie Chang
Aileen Zhang
Janette Lu
Tanza Solis
Joe Morales
Qing Saville
Tim Tran
Suzanne Tay Kelley
Rebecca Lee
Josephine Chien
KSW STAFF
Jason Bayani, Co-Director
Mihee Kim, Co-Director
Lehua Taitano, Programs and Community Manager
KSW Board
Trina De Joya
Paul Ocampo
Cristiana Baik
Jenny Ton
Irene Gutierrez
Joshua Wheeler
Ploi Pirapokin
PHOTO & VIDEOGRAPHY
Claire Burke
Diana Li
CO-PRESENTERS
Arc Gallery & Studios
ARTogether
Chinese Culture Center
Litquake
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Asian American Women Artists Association
Decentered Arts
SOMArts
FUNDERS
San Francisco Arts Commission
Grants for the Arts
Fleishhacker Foundation
Avenue Greenlight
SPECIAL THANKS
Charlene Tan
Diana Fu
Jinju Kim
Leydn McEvoy
Jeffrey Lei
Ally Hurtado Nguyen
Sonia Marroquin
Christina Wong
Andrew Rogge
Wayne Chin
Mark Flores