DIPLOMACY
September 19 - November 22, 2019
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Diplomacy is an exhibition inspired by an
iconic St. John’s University landmark: Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. On September
6, 1973, the building opened its doors to students at St. John’s University.
The New York Times soon heralded the completion of the pagoda-like edifice, which
was to house a new center for Asian Studies, as a “palatial structure straight
out of the Forbidden City.” The center’s founder, Dr. Paul K.T. Sih, then
proudly claimed that Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall was “the first building of its
kind out of China to incorporate traditional Oriental architecture.” Sun Yat
Sen Memorial Hall has since become a postmodern landmark on the campus of St.
John’s University, with its gleaming marble porch, brick walls, and golden tile
roof imported from Taiwan. In another article from 1971, The New York Times
couched the pending arrival of the building to St. John’s in a larger
historical trajectory; namely, President Nixon’s forthcoming 1972 trip to the
Chinese mainland, which was an unprecedented gesture of diplomacy between the
United States and the People’s Republic.
Featured Artists:Christopher K. Ho, Lena Henke, Shahpour Pouyan, Reuven Israel, Alex Hayden, Carla Edwards, Anton Ginzburg, Ryan Flores, Hai-Hsin Huang, Claudia Martínez Garay, and Claudia Peña Salinas.
Exhibition curators:
This exhibition is curated by Owen Duffy, Director of the Yeh Art Gallery, with the support of Cassandra Post, Graduate Assistant.