“Murmurations: Self-Portraits by Artists of Diaspora” Opening Reception (SF)

Many Hands Creative

Sentro Filipino and Many Hands Creative present Murmurations, a group exhibition featuring self-portraits by artists with diasporic histories—immigrants, children of immigrants, and others for whom shifts in geographical and cultural location are central to their stories.

Please join us for the opening reception.

The exhibition broadly interprets “self-portrait” to include works that engage with personal narrative, exploring identity, perspective, history, and visions for the future. In a time when immigration is a hot-button issue debated with fear and vitriol, Murmurations offers a counter-narrative, celebrating the courage of self-determination and affirming the necessity of pluralistic voices in our globalized society. The exhibition creates space for artists of diasporic backgrounds to assert their personhood against dehumanizing rhetoric and polarized narratives.

The title Murmurations references the mesmerizing patterns created by flocks of birds in flight. These formations emerge not from collective planning, but from each bird following its own path while responding to its neighbors. Zooming out reveals unexpected patterns—an apt metaphor for how individual migrations connect to form shared histories shaped by global forces. While our origins differ, our stories have more in common than we realize.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.