Exhibit Celebrates Korean-American Artist Cha

The Berkeley Art Museum presents 'Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings,' a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the avant-garde Korean-American artist. This exhibition aims to showcase the full breadth of Cha's creative output, moving beyond her renowned 1982 book, 'Dictée.'

Born in South Korea in 1951 and immigrating to the U.S. at age 12, Cha became a significant figure in the Northern California avant-garde art scene. Her work, particularly after settling in the Bay Area, delved into complex themes of diaspora, language, memory, and cultural heritage. She explored how language sounds translate into meaning and the notion of displacement.

The exhibition features early works, including pottery and video pieces like 'Mouth to Mouth,' which examined the nuances of language learning and displacement. It also highlights her film and video installations, such as 'Permutations' and 'Exilée.'

'Multiple Offerings' also incorporates artistic responses to Cha's work by contemporary artists like L Franklin Gilliam and Cecilia Vicuña. These pieces demonstrate Cha's lasting impact and her influence on artists exploring identity, race, and violence against women.

The retrospective underscores Cha's profound confidence and early artistic seriousness, featuring documentation of her 1970s performance pieces like 'A Ble Wail' and paper-burning performances. Her engagement with the UC campus and the Berkeley Art Museum provided a fertile ground for her experimental approach.

Curator Victoria Sung emphasizes Cha's unique engagement with diaspora themes at a time when many artists did not. The exhibition seeks to dissolve boundaries, mirroring Cha's own open-ended practice and inspiring viewers to engage with art in new ways.