Artist Alley Gallery Opening: Leslie & Caroline Xia
Note from Welcome to Chinatown. This event is completely free and on a "pay-what-you-wish" donation basis. 100% from the ticket donations will be going back to supporting the nonprofit.
From Wenzhou by Caroline Xia and Leslie Xia
From Wenzhou is a photographic and video exploration of lineage, grief, and belonging. Created following the passing of Caroline Xia and Leslie Xia’s maternal grandmother in Wenzhou, China, the work documents a return to their family's hometown after nearly twenty years away.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, the Xia sisters grew up in Flushing, one of New York City’s largest Chinese immigrant communities. The journey to Wenzhou became an opportunity to reconnect with their roots and reflect on who they are and where they came from. Through intimate visual documentation, the Xia sisters explore what it means to mourn across borders and generations, tracing a journey not only across the globe but inward, into questions of identity, regret, and intergenerational resilience.
The seven photographs presented here are selected from From Wenzhou, a multimedia project and photo book photographed by Caroline Xia and designed by Leslie Xia. The images move between personal family history and the cultural specificity within the Wenzhounese community. Included are photographs from their grandmother's abandoned apartment, visits to her grave, portraits of family members, and scenes from their mother and grandmother's hometown, alongside observations of daily life in Wenzhou.
Accompanying the photographs is a video installation of VHS footage recorded by Sing Liu Ha, Caroline and Leslie's paternal grandfather, and other family members. Filmed throughout the 1980s and 1990s in both Wenzhou and Queens, the footage documents everyday family life across continents, capturing family dinners, conversations, life at home, and childhood moments.
While rooted in a specific family history, From Wenzhou is a love letter to grandmothers, immigrant daughters, and the fragments of heritage that continue to shape us even when we are far away.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase during the event, alongside a DJ set by Swaptank and bastoos, and beverages provided by Moshi, Makku, and Dirty Water. The book is available to purchase online here https://www.carolinexia.com/shop/book, shipping is available or pick up your book at the event.
Caroline Xia @carolinexia_
Leslie Xia @memoirsofagayxia