NADIA HIRONAKA & MATTHEW SUIB PARTNERING WITH PHILADELPHIA’S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS ON CITYWIDE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION

August 06, 2024
Forman Arts Initiative (FAI) and Mural Arts Philadelphia are pleased to announce the second installation of Public Works in partnership this year with The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) and Philadelphia-based artist duo Nadia Hironaka and Matthew Suib (Hironaka & Suib). 

Public Works is a residency program that facilitates collaborations between artists and Philadelphia’s government agencies to create artwork that strengthens connections between the agency’s work and the communities they serve. FAI and Mural Arts will award the artists $40,000 in addition to production and project support. Since April of this year, Hironaka & Suib have been working with OIA to develop a public art project to foster a deeper understanding of immigrant challenges, triumphs, and diverse community narratives within the City of Philadelphia. The collaboration will debut in phases beginning in early 2025. Further details will be announced in the fall of this year. 

“Philadelphia is one of the most diverse cities in the country, with a centuries-old history of immigrants arriving from Latin America, China, the Caribbean, Europe, and elsewhere, and interfacing with non-immigrant communities, like African Americans and Native Americans,” said FAI executive director Adjoa Jones de Almeida. “An enormous part of what continues to make Philadelphia so culturally and creatively vibrant is this cultural mix and the ongoing addition of new immigrant communities. We’re excited to work alongside Mural Arts and Forman Arts Initiative to bring together OIA and Hironaka & Suib for a project that honors and shines greater visibility on the critical legacy of immigrants in Philadelphia.”  

Hironaka & Suib, a collaborative duo since 2008, create immersive installations and public artworks that challenge popular narratives around social and cultural issues. In their ongoing animation project, Imaginary Lines, the artists are working with documented and undocumented immigrants to share migration stories through the lens of folklore and myth-making. Another recent project, Moon Viewing Platform, transformed a neglected stretch of open-air land into a large-scale viewing garden, cinema, and community gathering space. Through Public Works, Hironaka & Suib hope to highlight Philadelphia’s diasporic populations, showcasing how the strength of a city is reinforced by its diversity. 

“As colleagues, collaborators, neighbors, friends, family, children, and grandchildren of immigrants, immigration stories are woven intricately into our own lives. Our work with moving images and installations often celebrates unheard stories and alternative perspectives on history and culture. The work of OIA is perhaps more critical now than ever,” said Hironaka & Suib. 

Nearly 16% of Philadelphia’s population was born outside the U.S., higher than the national average of 14%. This places Philadelphia fifth among U.S. cities in terms of the percentage of foreign-born residents. OIA promotes the welfare and safety of these residents, advocating for immigrant rights, developing policy, and providing information on workplace rights, citizenship resources, and language services, among other programs. The agency facilitates the inclusion of immigrants into the civic, economic, and cultural life of Philadelphia and seeks to highlight the essential role immigrants play in shaping the cultural life of the city. 

“Thoughtfully and strategically engaging residents and learning from them how best to serve the needs of Philadelphia’s immigrant community is central to our office’s approach to making Philadelphia a Welcoming City,” said Amy Esuebio, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs. “We also know how powerful a tool art can be in bringing communities together to tell their stories. Therefore the goals of Public Works and the ambitions of Nadia and Matthew align perfectly with our office’s approach to serving residents. ”

In April of 2024, OIA supplied the duo with workspace in their office, providing them with insight into the agency’s processes and access to its staff. Hironaka & Suib will begin preparing for their project by attending OIA’s meetings with partners, speaking with immigrants, interviewing OIA staff members, and reviewing enacted and pending policies affecting the lives of immigrants. Through this research-based approach, the artists will work with OIA to create visible and socially engaged public art that celebrates the key role immigrants play in enriching communities.

“We’re excited to be working again with Mural Arts to expand the role of art in Philadelphia,” said FAI co-founders Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman. “Through Public Works, we focus on pairing artists and government agencies because of art’s ability to change perspectives and uncover new outlooks. Art, especially accessible public art, can reveal the relevance of our government agencies on a citywide scale and highlight all the people and ideas that make Philadelphia so special.” 

Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, added, “Mural Arts is similarly thrilled to be in partnership with Forman Arts Initiative again. Nadia and Matthew use public art to participate in critical dialogues about our culture, using immersive storytelling and striking images that transport viewers to other worlds. We have worked with them over the years, and each time has been more magical than the last. We look forward to the new, evocative, inspiring work being created.”

Find out more about the artists here.

Find out more about  the Office of Immigrant Affairs:  https://www.phila.gov/departments/office-of-immigrant-affairs/.