Adriana Hill

Cultural Vanities is an exhibition designed to highlight transnationalism and multicultural identity through an exploration of cross-cultural curation in displays of Dutch and Korean material culture. As a maker who is half Korean and Dutch, these cultures became the focus of my exhibition to try and uncover how to bridge these seemingly disparate forces through curation. Furthermore, the Netherlands and Korea are considered opposite realms in the traditional dichotomy of Occidentalism and Orientalism, so I wanted to unveil any intersections and commonalities between the two cultures. The installations are centred on the objects my parents have collected or brought over throughout the years from their respective cultures, and curated in different ways to evoke a ‘vanity’. The concept of the vanity or dressing table was chosen as the recurring symbol to represent how we self-fashion our identity and incorporate cultural objects, practices and fashions into our daily routines. Beginning with a more traditional display of fine art and ceramics, moving into a more contemporary arrangement of objects, and concluding with a blank vanity for the audience to contribute to; Cultural Vanities will raise awareness about the material culture and curatorial practices of The Netherlands and (South) Korea, while also encouraging reflection and introspection into the viewer’s own cultural influences.

Working on the same project for almost a year can get quite tiring but thanks to the tremendous support from my peers, the Mass Exodus team and my faculty advisor, Dirk de Waal, I was able to take my exhibition from a concept to reality. This project helped me realize the importance of conducting research and creating space for underrepresented communities. Furthermore, it allowed me to express my own identity and story. Throughout my time at Ryerson I have grown so much as an individual, truly coming to appreciate the importance of academia. I hope to continue my studies in the future and conduct more research in the field of cross-cultural exchange and Orientalism.