May Sun, UnderGround (detail), 1991, Mixed media, dimensions variable. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, purchased with funds provided by the Cynthia Anderson Memorial Fund and an anonymous donor. Photo by Jeff McLane.
Addressing a fragment of the neglected history of Californian agricultural workers, specifically, Chinese immigrants, this installation of May Sun's Underground, a recent acquisition to MOCA's permanent collection, included a dramatic spiral path lined with farm tools and crates of fragrant oranges. Hung on an adjacent wall were photographs of Chinese agricultural laborers and their Caucasian overseers. Small maps showed the major home cities of Chinese immigrants, while others located the primary sites of anti-Chinese violence in the United States. The work was commissioned by the Newport Harbor Art Museum for Mapping Histories: Third Newport Biennial and was purchased by MOCA through the museum's Cynthia Anderson's Memorial Fund.
Underground by May Sun was organized by Alma Ruiz, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Listen to May Sun in conversation with MOCA Curator Rebecca Lowery in 2023.