New queer museum pop up opens in SF Chinatown

By Almira Bianca Baldoza, AsAmNews Intern

The Chinese Culture Center launched the first-of-its-kind Chinese queer museum prototype this month. You can see the story from AsAmNews intern Almira Bianca Baldoza here. “OUT/出 MUSEUM” was launched in 41 Ross Alley in SF Chinatown by its Artist-in-Residence Queer artist-activist Xiangqi Chen which exhibited China’s queer movements and arts. 

Last Friday, April 12, Xiangqi Chen held the artist reception where she shared her featured arts and personal collections.

Xiangqi Chen told AsAmNews with the translation of curator Hoi Leung that “Museums are very powerful tools and models however you wanna interpret it.”

The community art space, 41 Ross, is transformed into a museum prototype highlighting China’s queer diasporic experience. 

The room was filled with different kinds of art ranging from short video clips of films played through small TVs as Xiangqi is a filmmaker herself to LGTBQ movie posters that are on the walls and the ceilings. 

You can see a big rainbow LGBT flag extended through the ceiling and colorful pens inviting the visitors to write and share messages.

The event also honors the 20th anniversary of the first official same-sex marriage in San Francisco. 

Leung said that San Francisco is a “safe haven” for the LGBT community and added Xiangqi’s message to the Asian American community:

“She really hopes that there can be more connection between the Asian American community as well as understanding the Chinese queer stories as well and being able to realize the project in Chinatown, she hopes to attract more of our Asian American community to come and experience this.” 

The queer art exhibition will be open to the public from until June 29, 2024.