Sula Bermúdez-Silverman, Jory Drew , Timo Fahler, José Flores, Ishi Glinsky, Saj Issa, Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo), Y. Malik Jalal, Catalina Ouyang, Nereida Patricia, Chiffon Thomas, Christian Vargas, Haena Yoo In 1989 Jean Baudrillard wrote, “America ducks the question of origins. It cultivates no origin or mythical authenticity; it has no past and no founding truth… But this is of no importance— America has no identity problem.” I've Gone to Look for America interrogates the paradox at the heart of American identity. The artists in this group exhibition are each intimately familiar with the illusory nature of American(ism). In one way or another they have searched for the essence of this country and found instead obstacles standing in the way of their belonging— whether it is the looming specter of patriotism, the indoctrination that is intertwined with “becoming American,” or the threat of violence that exists beneath the surface of life in the US. The artwork is as vast and varied as the idea of America itself, yet there runs through a common thread of reconciliation, a coming to terms with failed promises that potentially gives way to something more beautiful in its reality, attainability, and resilience. Image: Y. Malik Jalal Memorial Day Weekend, 2022 Mild steel, archival Inkjet prints, plexiglass 37 1/2 h x 24 w in