chain reactions
july artist in residence | Sip & Sonder | inglewood ca | july 2025
chain reactions asks:
if a reckoning is coming, would there be signs?
what happens before the breakthrough, as sparks gather & connect?
this exhibition reimagines liberation as a network of active, intentional moments. each piece in the show demonstrates the multifaceted nature of liberation, and the diversity in moments that are necessary to build towards liberated futures.
timely with recent upheaval in the United States, ICE raids in LA, and general targeting of marginalized peoples, this show is proof that even in the midst of devastation, there are moments of community, resistance, & gathering, still happening. and further, these unseen moments are equally important to our collective story of liberation as ruptures of resistance.
hope is alive, so long as liberation is an actively curated ecosystem.
chain reactions was concluded by an artist talk & workshop led by miela.
the workshop: exploring liberation as a living ecosystem
part 1 — getting to know the pieces
i opened with a theory: liberation is an ecosystem.
using six elements of a biological ecosystem — interdependence, energy, cyclic rhythms, adaptability, diversity, and place — i reframed each through the lens of liberation. we then revisited the artwork with this framework in mind.
part 2 — call & response
we explored how each element connected to the seven works in chain reactions, and how together they formed a self-sustaining system of change.
through guided questions, participants reflected on liberation in the context of their own lives. the space shifted — ideas built on one another, conversations deepened, and the room became alive.
part 3 — creating together
participants broke into small groups, each re-imagining one ecosystem element through collaborative drawing.stories and ideas flowed freely, filling the room with color and connection.each group presented their work, sharing how it represented their element in liberation. finally, we brought all the drawings together to recreate the full “liberation is an ecosystem” map — now co-created by everyone in the room.
by the end of the workshop, participants were equipped with the tools of liberation to spark chain reactions in their own communities.even more, they had become both researcher and artist — arriving together at the very theory introduced at the start. read more here.
