Vida Kuang 鄺楚瑩, River of Life 《生命之河》
River of Life, a mural by artist Vida Kuang, adds to the rich tapestry of water-themed murals created by local Chinatown youth and community organizations located in Wentworth Place. Painted in real time on the pavement marking the old shoreline underfoot, Vida’s new mural depicts the waters linking the Ramaytush Ohlone, original stewards of this land, and the Cantonese people living in Chinatown today. Incorporating Chinese calligraphy, Vida translates the original names of this land and its people for her community to engage with.
About Vida Kuang 鄺楚瑩
Vida Kuang 鄺楚瑩 was raised by a Toisan matriarchy and the streets of Chinatown. She is a muralist and educator based in San Francisco, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land. She has worked in the Bay for over a decade as an intergenerational community and cultural organizer. As a visual storyteller, her work centers her communities’ stories inspired by movements led by working class women of color for racial, gender, and economic justice. Vida’s work addresses the complexities and intersections of survival, healing, class struggle, and memory. She uses audio, illustration, and mixed media as tools for storytelling. Vida believes storytelling is a way to decolonize herself and her communities’ hearts and minds towards collective liberation. Her work has been featured in SF Public Library, API Culture Center, Mission Cultural Center, KQED, SF MUNI, SF Anti-Displacement Coalition, 41 Ross, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Coalition on Homelessness, and more.
藝術家鄺楚瑩創作的壁畫《生命之河》為在德和巷，以水為主題的壁畫增添色彩，這些作品由華埠青年和社區組織創作。鄺楚瑩的新壁畫實時繪製在行人道上，標誌著腳下的舊海岸線，描繪連接這片土地最初管理者Ramaytush Ohlone 和今天華埠居民的水域。鄺楚瑩結合中國書法，另一方面，為了讓社區更融入她的創作，她翻譯了這片土地及其人民的原始名稱。
鄺楚瑩是由來自台山的母系家庭和華埠的街上成長。她是一位居住在三藩市的壁畫家和教育家，這是Ramaytush Ohlone 未割讓的土地。她在灣區擔任跨越世代的社區和文化組織員十多年。作為視覺故事講述者，她的作品圍繞社區大小事，包括種族、性別和經濟正義，靈感來自於工人階級的有色人種女性所領導的各項運動。鄺楚瑩的作品探討了生存、療癒、階級鬥爭和記憶的複雜性和之間的相交點。她使用聲音、插圖和混合媒體作為講故事的工具。鄺楚瑩相信說故事是一種讓她自己、社區居民的心靈去殖民化、走向集體解放的方式。她的作品曾在 三藩市公共圖書館、亞太裔文化中心、Mission 文化中心、KQED、三藩市MUNI公車、三藩市反逼遷聯盟、41 Ross、Ella Baker人權中心、無家可歸者聯盟等展示。