“Before the Last Spike” exhibit (Photo – Garrett Rownlan)
Seeing Before the Last Spike, an exhibition by Jinseok Choi at ArtCenter, reminds us of that Zen-like phrase “there’s no there there.”
By Garrett Rowlan
The most iconic photograph* of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad includes many officials and managers from the companies and localities involved, but no representatives of the people who actually did the work, the Chinese laborers.
This exhibit reminds us that for all the spikes, bolts, and screws that fashioned this crossing, someone had to torque and pound each fastener, just like people had to dig and clear the land.
Choi uses reclaimed items from industries that are embedded in this past, such as fabric cutoffs from garment sweatshops, to evoke the shed detritus of unacknowledged labor. The rust-dyed rags are joined together by railroad spikes and hung almost in a flag-like fashion to suggest an entire continent tamed by thousands of anonymous workers.
Before The Last Spike is a testament to unheralded lives, and an evoking of a hidden history.
It is on exhibit at the ArtCenter South Campus, in the Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery until February 1, 2025.
Before the Last Spike Until February 1, 2025 Location ArtCenter South Campus Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery 870 S Raymond Ave Pasadena, CA 91105
*https://static.politico.com/31/8e/f39ab73b47009fdedc5f26625414/180509-golden-spike-ap-1160.jpg
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