As Bay Area Now 9 draws to a close, everything must go from Michael Arcega’s installation Trophy Room. Join the artist at YBCA as he opens up shop on Sundays 4/14 (1-5pm), 4/21 (3-5pm), 4/28 (3-5pm), and 5/5 (2-5pm).
Taxes on the mind? We got you! Make a tax-deductible donation to one of three charities—Hospitality House, Project Pearls, or United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)—and bring proof of donation, and get your trophy! These previously owned items collected from across North America can be yours with just a small donation to those in need.
The Trophy Room installation serves as a portrait of the Nacirema/American identity, highlighting Arcega’s engagement with language, history, and the U.S. landscape. Comprised of precariously stacked and arranged mementos symbolizing the fragility and complexity of the immigrant experience, the objects speak to Arcega’s personal journey and the broader theme of precariousness in the American landscape. On many of the objects, Arcega has employed sign-painting techniques and wordplay reminiscent of his graffiti and cultural roots, creating an unfamiliar visual language that upends viewer’s perceptions of familiar text. The Trophy Room–Dispersal Sale! redistributes these items in a mock-capitalist gesture where payment goes directly to charity in areas that are enduring horrific circumstances in the U.S., Philippines, and Palestine. 100% of all proceeds go to charity (and are tax deductible).