Corner Store: Takeout Stories by Amber Art & Design

Curated by Katherine Megumi Shozawa

Philadelphia, PA

2014

Corner Store began as a conversation with artist collective Amber Art & Design, asking “Which side of the glass are you on?” The project examines the exchanges and relationships in bodegas (corner stores) and Chinese takeout restaurants in North Philadelphia, mediated by thick plexiglass windows and contraptions that perpetuate distrust for new Asian immigrants in majority Black neighborhoods. While considering the common cultural and language barriers between pan-ethnic Black and Asian communities in a mid-Atlantic U.S. city like Philly, the artists redefined relationships through new portable architecture, performance, and interactive installations.

Corner Store: Takeout Stories was created and performed by Amber Art & Design in collaboration with Shozawa at Asian Arts Initiative.