From Artistry to Activism: Amplifying Black and Asian Voices of Resistance

In this livestreaming webinar presented in partnership with Hip Hop for Change, street artist Jas Charanjiva, multimedia musician and media artist Choi Sai Ho, and Khafre Jay, Stephanie Liem, and Marlon Richardson from Hip Hop for Change talk about how they use art as activism. With live performances by Kev Choice, UnLearn The World, and Ruby Ibarra!  

Confirmed Speakers: Khafre Jay, Stephanie Liem and Marlon Richardson from Hip Hop for Change, Choi Sai Ho and Jas Charanjiva 

Confirmed Performers: Kev Choice and UnLearn The World, and Ruby Ibarra

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  Khafre Jay

  Khafre Jay’s activism is deeply rooted in real communities dealing with real issues: he hails from Hunters Point in San Francisco, a neighborhood that stands in stark contrast to the gilded city we see in the media. His experience merging activism and expressive cultural arts led him to found Hip Hop For Change, which uses hip-hop culture to educate and advocate for social justice in the Bay Area. In 2014, he created THE MC program, a modular curriculum using hip-hop history and culture to focus on healthy expression and positive identity that has reached more than 22,000 youth.

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  Marlon Richardson / UnLearn the World

  A popular and dynamic performer in the Bay Area, Marlon Richardson aka UnLearn The World is a New York born and bred emcee, producer, actor, writer, activist, and hip-hop educator. He is the host of several radio shows and podcasts and is a member of the All Tribes San Francisco Chapter of Universal Zulu Nation. He recently released the self-produced album “Light Years,” now playing on all music streaming services. Unlearn teaches emceeing/rapping, beat-making, DJing, and the history of hip-hop in traditional school settings as well as juvenile detention centers throughout the Bay Area and is adjunct professor at Holy Names University.

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  Stephanie Liem

  Stephanie Wibisono Liem is an Asian American activist and Hip Hop For Change’s communications coordinator. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in global studies, concentrating in peace and conflict in Asia. Liem is a strong advocate for building solidarity between the Asian and Black communities, and her work revolves around challenging the “model minority myth.” She believes in the power of hip-hop and cultural pedagogy to help our communities find allyship in activism.

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  Choi Sai-ho

  A multimedia artist and composer, Choi Sai-Ho has been honored with numerous awards, including the Young Artist (Media Arts) of Hong Kong Arts Development Award 2012 and the Outstanding Achievement in Music for Dance at the 2015 Hong Kong Dance Awards. His work Collide was honored in Germany’s Visual Music Award 2016, Freezing Night, Tram Depot was long-listed for the 2018 Lumen Prize, and Signals was chosen by Sónar Calling to be part of a message sent 12.4 light-years to planet GJ273b. His video Black Moon will be exhibited in the upcoming exhibition After Hope at the Asian Art Museum.

  蔡世豪

  多媒體藝術家兼電子音樂人蔡世豪，於城市大學創意媒體學院碩士畢業，曾獲2012香港藝術發展獎：藝術新秀獎〔媒體藝術〕、憑香港舞蹈團大型舞劇《風雲》獲2015香港舞蹈年獎：最值得表揚聲音設計及配樂，以及憑多媒體作品《Collide撞》獲德國Visual Music Award：Visual Music Live Contest 2016「Honoring」榮譽獎項。《寒夜．電車廠》入圍英國媒體藝術獎項Lumen Prize 2018 –Moving Image category；音樂作品《Signals》於2018年被Sónar Calling 挑選發射至距離地球12.4光年，有可能適合人類居住的系外行星GJ273b 星球。蔡世豪亦是首位代表香港參與澳洲墨爾本舉行的Red Bull 音樂學院的香港音樂人，並曾獲Time Out 雜誌選為20大本地音樂人、The Best of Hong Kong Indie 第一位及CNNGO 選為十大最佳香港音樂單位。

   

  與蔡世豪合作的團體包括香港視覺藝術中心、香港城市室樂團、香港藝術節、M+博物館、香港建築師學會、Chanel、agnès b.、榮耀（華為旗下智能手機品牌）等。蔡世豪先後走訪多國演出、展覽，參與的國際音樂節或媒體藝術節包括：美國Perform Media Festival、巴西VideoBrasil Festival、英國Experimentica、葡萄牙T(h)ree 音樂會、瑞士Electron Festival、德國Worldtronics、Sónar Hong Kong、香港Clockenflap 音樂與藝術節、香港微波國際新媒體藝術節、香港當代藝術雙年獎2009等。曾於城市大學、浸會大學兼職教學工作，現從事音樂、多媒體藝術創作等。

   

  Black Moon will be exhibited at the Asian Art Museum in partnership with After Hope.
  6/ Black Moon
  2019
  By Choi Sai-ho, Jing Wong, and Jason Lam
  Duration: 5:10 min.

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  Jas Charanjiva

  Jas Charanjiva is a Bay Area–bred Indian American street artist and activist living in Mumbai, where she co-runs Kulture Shop, an artist collective of Indian graphic artists from around the world. She seeks to use art as her tool to amplify social issues. Charanjiva’s most popular artwork, Don’t Mess with Me, better known as the Pink Lady, depicts a traditionally clad Indian woman in pink with a new attitude to stand up and fight for justice. This piece will be exhibited at the Asian Art Museum as one of the inaugural works on the East West Bank Art Terrace.

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  Kev Choice

  Pianist, emcee, producer, bandleader, sideman, and music historian Kev Choice is redefining what it means to be a musician in this day and age. The Oakland-based Choice notes that “not too many classically trained pianists who hold a master’s degree in jazz can rock microphones with blazing-hot 16s.” Yet such versatility comes natural to Choice, whose diverse array of influences ranges from Prince to Rakim to A Tribe Called Quest to Stevie Wonder to McCoy Tyner to Chopin and Ravel. “Hip-hop,” he says, “was always the music that helped me express myself the most, while classical gave me a broader understanding and appreciation for music.”

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  Ruby Ibarra

  Ruby Ibarra is a rapper and spoken-word artist from the Bay Area. She released her debut album, “CIRCA91,” at the end of 2017 and has since toured across the United States, performing at universities, empowerment conferences, music venues, and spaces such as the National Mall in Washington, D.C., The Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the De Young Museum in San Francisco. Ibarra has been featured in publications such as HuffPost, South China Morning Post, Buzzfeed, and XXL Magazine and was featured in a Grammys/MasterCard commercial and campaign with R&B singer SZA. Ibarra’s music is available on all digital platforms.