BANK NYC exhibition 'To Save and to Destroy' explores history through diasporic perspectives

From July 10 to August 13, 2025, BANK NYC in New York presents 'To Save and to Destroy,' a group exhibition curated by Qingyuan Deng. The show features 15 artists examining how history conceals more than it reveals, particularly for those navigating multiple cultures and identities. Amiko Li's video work 'too quiet to hear' (2023) explores miscommunication through shifting vocal registers, from newscaster gravitas to lullaby softness. Leon Zhan contributes paintings like 'Melody of the Woods' (2025) and 'Winter Evening' (2025), depicting solitary stone lions as symbolic self-portraits of endurance rather than guardianship. Ren Light Pan's ink works, including 'Cat in Water' (2025), blend traditional Chinese techniques with contemporary methods like infrared beam exposure, creating tonal shifts visible only under specific light. Diane Severin Nguyen's photographs, such as 'An era where war became a memory' (2018), use material transfiguration of everyday objects to question how memories become distorted. The exhibition takes its title from Viet Thanh Nguyen's essay collection, framing history as fractured and personal rather than monolithic. Artists work across video, painting, ink, and photography to investigate the boundaries between memory, myth, and historical fact.