Speaking in Shadows: An Invocation of Migrant Presence 

An intimate gathering and communal installation

by Daniel Arturo Almeida, Nyssa Chow, and Jennifer Wen Ma

Laser-cut flashspun nonwoven HDPE, pigments, laser-cut stainless steel plates, light boxes

Think!Chinatown, New York

October 15th – December 20th 2026

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A resplendent garden of intricately cut and cascading paper – in hues of black, white, deep green and pastel – is accompanied by drawings of memories, figured on the red walls of Think!Chinatown gallery, as shadows casted from individual laser-cut metal cards. 

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The images drawn on the cards begin with my collaborators and me, invoking people who loom large in our peripatetic lives and whose presence we wish to honor. The installation grows as we invite Chinatown community members to gather, share their stories, and author new images to fill the wall niches. 

Created by three immigrant artists—Daniel (Venezuelan), Nyssa (Trinidadian) and I met in New York. When we began this collaboration, we did not know that Daniel and Nyssa would be drawn into the currents of migration again, making a work they would not see in person. Nonetheless, they have been fully present throughout its making, and continue to co-host gatherings and programs virtually. 

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Collaboration brings challenges that I welcome into my practice. It pushes me into a zone of discomfort, to analyze, clarify and articulate core concepts, advancing the work aesthetically and formally. Being in a place of experimental unease expands my vocabulary and world view. While I sometimes want to move quickly to execution, collaboration demands me to slow down, listen, and consider different vantage points. 

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I am deeply grateful to Daniel and Nyssa for their brilliance, thoughtfulness, generosity and shared vision in making this project a profoundly beautiful experience. 

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[To read our collaborative Artist Statement on the ideas that inspired us, click here.]​

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