Lower East Side Links
–A handful of community activists are talking up a plan to reopen Jing Fong, but the restaurant’s longtime owners say they have nothing to do with the proposal. [AMNY]
–The loss of the massive Chinese restaurant Jing Fong, “highlights the economic plight of one of the country’s most celebrated immigrant neighborhoods. Chinatown… (which) has been pummeled by the pandemic longer and harder than almost anywhere else in the city.” [The New York Times]
–The Museum of Chinese in America cancels an exhibition showcasing the work of the artist collective Godzilla after 19 members of the group withdrew from the show due to concerns about the museum’s position on the proposed new jail in Chinatown. [Artforum]
Members of the Godzilla collective, ca. 1990. Courtesy Godzilla.
The Museum of Chinese in America in New York has called off an exhibition focusing on a 1990s Asian American art collective after the majority of the participating artists withdrew.
The 19 artists, who were members of the group Godzilla, oppose the museum’s acceptance of $35 million in city funds, which they say suggests its complicity in the construction of a new jail in Chinatown that is part of Mayor Bill De Blasio’s plan to close the notorious Rikers Island jail.
Among the signatories to the letter are Byron Kim, Paul Pfeiffer, and Lynne Yamamoto.