Dream State

How do you build your dream? What pushes you to redefine it? How do you continue to reconstruct it?

For one night only, explore these questions and witness how an artist’s process blooms as the Asian Art Museum is transformed into a dreamscape built upon the visions of emerging AAPI creatives. This evening is for the audacious believers, courageous problem-solvers, and those who ask, “What more?”

In the business of dreams, there is much to consider; it’s time to become the owner of yours.

Double film screenings:

• “KONGKEE: AM I DROWNING OR AM I FLYING?” - Documentary
• “Bridge to Everywhere” — Award-winning animation.

Artist Talk with director Spencer Tsang.

“The Blueprint” — Leave your mark with an interactive visualization of dream weaving, designed by Yăng Shēng in collaboration with Yasmine Anastasia and Sorell Tsui.

Sounds by DJ Bitesize.

Spencer Tsang hails from a prestigious lineage of poor Chinatown immigrants. His family has been creating from scraps for generations; his creative approach is similar. YouTube was Tsang’s film school. He attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting not to become an actor, but to earn the permission to direct them. His film “Fight Night” premiered in high schools across the country, catalyzing conversations on toxic masculinity. In 2022, as the Artist-in-Residence with the Chinese Culture Center, Tsang curated seven exhibitions, raising money for businesses recovering from Asian hate crimes and COVID. He looks forward to beginning with the Academy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as an aspiring Art Director.

Yăng Shēng is a multichannel experimental art brand, reimagining Chinese and Taiwanese traditions through an editorial lens. Created by Steph Cai (Executive Producer & Co-Creative Director) and Hanna Chen (Co-Creative Director, Art Director & Brand Strategist), Yăng Shēng is a community incubator for fruits of the Asian diaspora to nurture their identities and crafts together. At its core, Yăng Shēng is a self-nourishing way of life: the warm, fuzzy feeling that you get from breaking bread with your chosen family. Indulge in Yăng Shēng through immersive experiences dedicated to fostering the modern-day village.

Colour Palette Magazine is a multidimensional creative outlet birthed to uplift the voices of artists of color worldwide. The idea was first conceptualized in 2020 by Dominic Wong and Jenay Denise. Both raised in Oakland, California, they grew up surrounded by ingenuity, authenticity, and imagination. The two branched out of Oakland and witnessed this same creative spirit everywhere they went. They were growing up in a renaissance. Alongside friends and peers who were simultaneously pursuing creative endeavors, only two goals seemed to fit: creating tangible art and establishing a platform for underrepresented artists. Colour Palette Magazine served as editors and interview consultants on the Yăng Shēnginstallations for “Dream State.”

The Happy Crane is a Bay Area-based modern Chinese popup due to open its brick and mortar location in early 2025. Its seasonal menu of food and cocktails pays homage to China’s culinary heritage and the rich bounty of California, using a dash of creativity to uplift traditions and respectfully usher classic Chinese experiences into the modern age. Both the restaurant’s menu and its mission are deeply personal to The Happy Crane’s chef and founder, James Yeun Leong Parry.

Two Two is a concept space for fashion and creativity in Oakland, California. Its curatorial lens is playful, crafted, reciprocal, and experimental. The number 22 symbolizes the ‘builder of dreams’ and its intimate space provides a place for storytellers, collaborators, and emerging designers to share their vision with art and fashion enthusiasts in the Bay and beyond. Visit Two Two at 3221 Grand Ave in Oakland, at twotwo.online, and on Instagram at @twotwo.online.

DJ Bitesize is a turntablist/party rocker and DJ instructor from San Francisco. Bitesize has performed at numerous parties in the Bay Area and LA and for companies like Facebook and Rakuten. She has won local DJ battles and is part of an infamous legacy of Filipino scratchers and turntablists in the Bay Area.

Additional event collaborators include:

Lane Fujita (Graphic Designer)

Yasmine Anastasia (Installation Designer)

Sorell Raino-Tsui of ABG Art Group (Installation Designer)

My-Linh Pham (Installation Architect)

Rachel Halpert of Kinfolx (Experience Designer)

Chloe Ng of Lower Grand Radio (Risograph Printer)

Sherelie Lum (Production Assistant)