The exhibition curated by artist Tony Khawam and featured works by artists from Israel, Syria, Turkey, Cuba, Colombia, Haiti, Russia, the UK, and Venezuela, share the art about their cultural history intertwined with the American experience, and the impact of their heritage, immigration, and the new American culture on their lives and art making. Although the artworks may differ esthetically, there is much that connects them conceptually. Common threads are recurrent references to their heritage history, shared experiences, indigenous mythologies, and social norms. The featured artists often invoke national art histories, either in tribute or subversion, but also engage with current happenings, and international artistic trends. These artists enter into dialogues with the traditions of the past at the same time that they participate in current global artistic discussions. Their simultaneous engagement with the past, present, speaks to a singular creative present.

The artists explore history, create commentary around current happenings with mark making techniques, materials, and process in a variety of media. The exchange of ideas and acknowledgement of influence of these artists have long comprised the tenets of creative production by creating a new lexicon of post-modern commentary, intentionally borrowing and sharing pictures that were local to their heritage and experience as a way of breaking apart conventional notions of ownership, and a playful storied history of “originality” in art bears closer examination.

Featured works by Ilan Averbuch, José Bedia, Linda Behar, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Galen Cheney, Ivonne Ferrer, Tony Khawam, Sibel Kocabasi, Santiago Medina, and Nizar Sabour.