Lexicon for the Extracted (2015-2016)
Lexicon for Extracted is comprised of 26 drawings that form a constellation of research for Extracted:A trilogy, a three part exhibition project at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco curated by Marc Mayer- on view from November 2015-August 2016.
Extracted considers the California Gold Rush via the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Chinese mythology in order to un-make the colonial image of the covered wagon and manifest destiny - to build a more complex picture of the construction of the West and its population. It is also an investigation into the nature of speculation, both in its economic sense and as an exploration of the unknown.
The Lexicon drawingswere made in color groups;
golds, to set the stage for the project,
reds, for cinnabar-a vermillion mercuric sulfide used as an amalgam to separate gold from ore and a well-known ingredient used by alchemists to make an elixir of immortality in ancient China.
greens, for jade as a symbol of health, resilience and longevity.
blues, for the color of the Yuba River-a brilliant reflection the sky from the smooth white rocks, polished by water canons used in hydraulic mining.