With his first solo exhibition, Josh Chang is in pursuit of how his identity brings meaning to him. He wants to breathe new life in the forgotten history of Chinese railroad workers in the West, concentrating on color, texture and form that immerse him. Identity has always been at the core of Josh’s work. His murals around Reno, Roots: A Pan-Asian Renaissance (2021), and Yolteotl (2022) all hold a mirror to how he sees himself. He believes self understanding comes from understanding the people we align ourselves with.

He is heavily inspired by both Dominique Fung’s A Tale of Ancestral Memories exhibition, as well as his Grandmother’s watercolor pieces. They both share a quality of storytelling through their choice of color and arrangement that invites viewers into the world they inhabit. Their heritage is also reflected in the way they choose to present their works whether through hanging scrolls or Chinese jewelry boxes, it is a method he wishes to incorporate in the future.

Underpainting 77 is directly for and addressed to Chinese Americans and Taiwanese Americans: Brothers and sisters, what we are witnessing happen to our neighbors is not normal. Families torn from their homes and disqualified from safety on the basis of race is not normal. Let our history in the United States serve as an example of the perils of systematic oppression. Let us understand dehumanizing our fellow neighbors is a great obstacle to organizing, and serves only those in power. It is a wall built in an instant that takes generations to tear down; it is the victory of the oppressor should we choose complacency.