Yin-Ju Chen: Extrastellar Evaluations - Review

Kadist - San Francisco CA
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 11, 6-9pm
Dates: May 11 - June 25, 2016
Gallery hours: Wednesdays - Saturdays 2-7pm, or by appointment

Installation view of Yin-Ju Chen’s Extrastellar Evaluation. // Photo by Jeff Warrin. // Courtesy of Kadist and the artist

Review by Amber Imrie-Situnayake

On Wednesday, May 11th, I visited the opening of Extrastellar Evaluations. All the work centered around the paranormal belief in Lemurians. Yin-Ju Chen approaches this theory from the perspective of unwavering truth. Her work was based on correspondence with a medium, communicating with the Lemurian community and herself through answering questions and purposing truths.  I left still questioning if Yin-Ju and curator Marie Martraire truly believes in the Lemurians or if their conviction was sold to us as part of the experience. (Which I truly enjoyed.)

While I'm sure many people believe in this sort of extraterrestrial life, I for one, believe that while other life in the universe is inevitable, the likelihood that they have made contact and are living among us or that they are even recognizable to us, is created through an over-assumption of our importance. But that's just my view. Check out Yin-Ju's show and ask yourself, if you believe. 

Installation view of Yin-Ju Chen’s Extrastellar Evaluation. // Photo by Jeff Warrin. // Courtesy of Kadist and the artist

Installation view of Yin-Ju Chen’s Extrastellar Evaluation. // Photo by Jeff Warrin. // Courtesy of Kadist and the artist

Press Release

Despite common belief, some alien inhabitants of the lost continent of Lemuria survived its sinking on Earth thousands of years ago.1 Limited information prevents researchers from fully comprehending the outer space population, their demographics and customs, or even the reason for their subsistence on Earth, resulting in inconsistent versions of their subsequent histories. Yet multiple accounts have established with quasi-certainty that some Lemurians remain on Earth today near its core, deep beneath the 14,179-foot Mount Shasta, CA, appearing infrequently to human witnesses. Following her investigation into the mysterious residents of Mount Shasta, Kadist A.I.R. Yin-Ju Chen conducted field research and interviews with local inhabitants of the volcanic territory. Her exhibition and multimedia installation, at Kadist, Extrastellar Evaluations, uncover unique materials that reveal unforeseen information about the Lemurians’ earthly presence.

An Interview with Yin-Ju Chen, Kadist Artist in Residence 2016. Extrastellar Evaluations is on view 5/11-6/25 from Kadist on Vimeo.