I am so proud to announce that my chromatography work is currently on display at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago. The show, Mari Miller: The Land Loves Us, runs from January 7th-February 18th, 2024 as part of the museum’s Spotlight Series of Chinese American artists, curated by Larry Lee of Molar Productions.
Radical love is needed to save the world. In these times of worsening climate crises, it’s clear to me that the land loves us. Aside from land stewards- especially Indigenous land stewards- most of us have harmed the earth (myself included). Yet the land still keeps gifting us with its love. Among its countless gifts is the food that nourishes us. It is our responsibility to cherish and return that love. To defend the land against the governments and corporations causing the worst environmental harm.
As Chinese Americans facing rising sinophobia, we may ask ourselves if we belong anywhere. Often times, Chinese people in the motherland no longer see us as Chinese. And Americans have stereotyped us as the perpetual foreigners. Beyond that, do we even belong on this stolen land? Many of us do not have the choice to “return home”, so how do we live as conscientiously and responsibly as we can as diaspora?
In these uncertain times of political unrest, it is paramount that we build communities centered around love. The deep and unending love of the land should inspire us. As it grows, our food absorbs nutrients from the soil. We may be far from the homes of our ancestors, but that land is still giving us its love every time we drink tea or eat noodles from China. And though we may be asylees and settlers, though we are not Indigenous to Turtle Island, the Earth shows us its love every time we eat food grown on this land.
If we build our communities centered around love, never forgetting that the land is part of our community, then we can better to fight the climate crisis and rising fascism, all while repairing our relationship to the land and strengthening ties to our Black and Brown kin.
The breath of life, the land’s spirit, its qi, is present in everything we eat. Chromatography allows me to visualize the compounds and bacteria that make up our food, that come from the qi of the land as it nourishes the plants we eat. Visualizing the qi of the Earth, its vibrant love, is an important reminder that the land is alive, that we are in a relationship with the land, and that we must defend and honor this relationship. It is a reminder that the land loves us. It is a reminder to love the land.
If you are in Chicago, please stop by the 4th floor of the Chinese American Museum between now and February 18th to see Mari Miller: The Land Loves Us. And no matter where you are, remember that you are loved. Remember to share that love in return. To not spread love just for the sake of “kindness” or being “good” but to allow your deep love of the Earth to empower you to protect the land and all its inhabitants. Love enough to fight for justice.
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