Infinite Exchange Opening Reception

Kearny Street Workshop presents INFINITE EXCHANGE, an exhibition by the AVA (APA Visual Artists) Lab 2025 cohort. 

On Display at ARC Gallery & Studios 1246 Folsom Street

July 19 - Aug 16, 2025
Gallery hours: Wednesday & Thursday 1-6pm, Saturdays 12-3pm.

Participating artists: Nicki Aquino, Ginger Yifan Chen, Vida Kuang, Bianca Levan, Joanna Malpica, Karin Hạnh Nguyễn, Bréana Parks, Tanza Solis, Tracy Jones, and Mariel Paat.

Opening reception
Saturday, July 19, 12-3 PM
Arc Studios and Gallery
1246 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

Show Dates: July 19- August 16

Arc Gallery hours: Wednesday & Thursday 1-6pm, Saturdays 12-3pm.

Please join us at our culminating exhibition!

Who is your community? How does one show up for their community? What does giving back to a community look like? How does one’s creative practice build, nourish and maintain relationships within community? These are some questions artists explored through AVA Lab. As Asian and Pacific Islander artists, we see that the reciprocal model of community engagement is not a far-flung concept or methodology, but one that has always been present and embedded within our cultural knowledge. Reciprocity is not only praxis, it is ancestral.

The word reciprocity comes from the Latin reciprocus, meaning “moving backwards and forwards.” For centuries, many Pacific Islander and Asian communities have prioritized the idea of reciprocity as an inherent cultural value, where mutual exchange is necessary to the health of the community. In CHamoru society, the social practice of chenchule’ embodies more than just giving and is, rather, a system of exchange where giving triggers an obligation for the receiver to reciprocate. Similarly, in Chinese culture, guanxi (關係) refers to the intricate system of social connections and relationships based on mutual obligation and trust. Just as two mirrors facing each other create a never-ending reflection, artists and the communities they serve can also engage in mutual reciprocity. As Pacific Islander and Asian American artists, we explore how our individual, creative practices can model the movement of chenchule’ and 關係—an infinite exchange of giving and receiving.