MAIN GALLERY / The DC Arts Center’s Curatorial Initiative Presents
Transversal Imprint: Cultures,
Places, Selves
October 17 - November 9, 2025
Wednesday - Sunday 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Opening Celebration
Friday, October 17, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator & Artist Talk
Saturday, November 2, 2025
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Sunday, November 9, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Hu Zeqian
Narcissus in Flames, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
78.7” x 39.3”
$6800
Curated by
Zixin Shang
Featured Artists
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
Ran Feng
Zeqian Hu
Kevin Kwon
Dina AZ. Salem
Hazal Weil
Quick Links
About the Exhibition
In an era defined by global migration, the work of Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg, Ran Feng, Zeqian Hu, Kevin Kwon, Dina AZ. Salem and Hazal Weil emphasize that every journey across borders carries with it stories, memories, and transformations born of cultural exchange.
These artists embody the idea of the transversal—a space where identities shift, overlap, and expand, opening doors to new creative possibilities and fresh perspectives on belonging. Through photography, painting, and mixed-media installation, Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves invites audiences to explore how culture leaves its mark on daily life, memory, and the body. The works reflect the complexity of living between worlds, capturing moments of cultural dissonance and discovery within the American experience. Each piece becomes a testament to resilience and reinvention, offering bold new ways to imagine identity and cultural connection.
This exhibition is not bound by a single narrative. Instead, it celebrates the fluidity of stories that emerge when traditions meet and intertwine. The artists draw on their East Asian and Middle Eastern roots to create a space of dialogue, movement, and infinite possibility—forming a unique cultural landscape where a multitude of voices can coexist and flourish.
With Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves, curator Zixin Shang invites viewers to engage with powerful cross-cultural expressions, discover resonant new voices, and help shape an arts community that is diverse, inclusive, and alive with creative energy.
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
My hands will change your world, No. 1. From the historical documents series, 2017-2018
Resin sculpture, hand-painted, on wood and leather base
20” x 24” x 9”
$9800
October 17 - November 9, 2025
Wednesday - Sunday 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MAIN GALLERY / The DC Arts Center’s Curatorial Initiative Presents
Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves
Curated by
Zixin Shang
Quick Links
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
My hands will change your world, No. 1. From the historical documents series, 2017-2018
Resin sculpture, hand-painted, on wood and leather base
20” x 24” x 9”
$9800
Featured Artists
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
Ran Feng
Zeqian Hu
Kevin Kwon
Dina AZ. Salem
Hazal Weil
Hu Zeqian
Narcissus in Flames, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
78.7” x 39.3”
$6800
Opening Celebration
Friday, October 17, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator & Artist Talk
Saturday, November 2, 2025
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Sunday, November 9, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 PM
About the Exhibition
In an era defined by global migration, the work of Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg, Ran Feng, Zeqian Hu, Kevin Kwon, Dina AZ. Salem and Hazal Weil emphasize that every journey across borders carries with it stories, memories, and transformations born of cultural exchange.
These artists embody the idea of the transversal—a space where identities shift, overlap, and expand, opening doors to new creative possibilities and fresh perspectives on belonging. Through photography, painting, and mixed-media installation, Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves invites audiences to explore how culture leaves its mark on daily life, memory, and the body. The works reflect the complexity of living between worlds, capturing moments of cultural dissonance and discovery within the American experience. Each piece becomes a testament to resilience and reinvention, offering bold new ways to imagine identity and cultural connection.
This exhibition is not bound by a single narrative. Instead, it celebrates the fluidity of stories that emerge when traditions meet and intertwine. The artists draw on their East Asian and Middle Eastern roots to create a space of dialogue, movement, and infinite possibility—forming a unique cultural landscape where a multitude of voices can coexist and flourish.
With Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves, curator Zixin Shang invites viewers to engage with powerful cross-cultural expressions, discover resonant new voices, and help shape an arts community that is diverse, inclusive, and alive with creative energy.
October 17 - November 9, 2025
Wednesday - Sunday 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MAIN GALLERY / The DC Arts Center’s Curatorial Initiative Presents
Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves
Curated by
Zixin Shang
Quick Links
Featured Artists
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
Ran Feng
Zeqian Hu
Kevin Kwon
Dina AZ. Salem
Hazal Weil
Hu Zeqian
Narcissus in Flames, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
78.7” x 39.3”
$6800
About the Exhibition
In an era defined by global migration, the work of Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg, Ran Feng, Zeqian Hu, Kevin Kwon, Dina AZ. Salem and Hazal Weil emphasize that every journey across borders carries with it stories, memories, and transformations born of cultural exchange.
These artists embody the idea of the transversal—a space where identities shift, overlap, and expand, opening doors to new creative possibilities and fresh perspectives on belonging. Through photography, painting, and mixed-media installation, Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves invites audiences to explore how culture leaves its mark on daily life, memory, and the body. The works reflect the complexity of living between worlds, capturing moments of cultural dissonance and discovery within the American experience. Each piece becomes a testament to resilience and reinvention, offering bold new ways to imagine identity and cultural connection.
This exhibition is not bound by a single narrative. Instead, it celebrates the fluidity of stories that emerge when traditions meet and intertwine. The artists draw on their East Asian and Middle Eastern roots to create a space of dialogue, movement, and infinite possibility—forming a unique cultural landscape where a multitude of voices can coexist and flourish.
With Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves, curator Zixin Shang invites viewers to engage with powerful cross-cultural expressions, discover resonant new voices, and help shape an arts community that is diverse, inclusive, and alive with creative energy.
Opening Celebration
Friday, October 17, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator & Artist Talk
Saturday, November 2, 2025
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Sunday, November 9, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
My hands will change your world, No. 1. From the historical documents series, 2017-2018
Resin sculpture, hand-painted, on wood and leather base
20” x 24” x 9”
$9800
Ran Feng
Ties that Bind, Winds That Free, 2025
Video
1920 x 1080 px
NFS
“The imprint of culture is the foundation for creating our future identities.”
In today's globalization of migration, every person who crosses geographical and cultural boundaries is a participant in the exchange and translation of cultures from one country to another. They carry not only traces of their personal memories and backgrounds, but also the imprint of the chemical reactions that occur when cultures overlap. The identity of “transversal” brings challenges and creates new possibilities. Through the lens of migration, artists bring a new narrative and inject vitality into a landscape that will be forever changed.
Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves brings together the works of five artists from East Asia and the Middle East. Through photography, painting, and installation, it explores cross-cultural narratives of imprint—traces left in daily life, memory, and the body. The works respond to the fluidity of identity and the experience of culture shock in the United States, while also opening new avenues of expression. Each piece reflects the complex relationships between non-Westerners and their new home, using diverse mediums to convey these perspectives. In the forging of a new cultural landscape, a distinct and singular imprint emerges.
This exhibition is a response to the questioning of immigrant identity, a multi-layered art world generated by a new culture. It is not framed by a fixed social narrative or bound by a single cultural context; in this space, identities are reorganized and cultural stories overlap. These artists constitute an island of mobility, engaging in an ongoing reconstruction and dialogue with Western culture that gives rise to boundless new forms. This exhibition hopes to bring more attention to the life-impacting works of Cross-cultural artists from East Asia and the Middle East, and to constitute a culturally-integrated, diverse, and inclusive art community in Washington, DC.
In this context, “transversal” does not merely mean discrete or alienated, but rather a state of integration. Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves invites viewers to step into these intertwined narratives and experience how cultures collide to create different sparks.
Zixin Shang
Curator, Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves
Hazal Weil
leaks, 2024
soaked expired 35mm film
18” x 42”
$500
From
The Curator
From the
Curator
“The imprint of culture is the foundation for creating our future identities.”
In today's globalization of migration, every person who crosses geographical and cultural boundaries is a participant in the exchange and translation of cultures from one country to another. They carry not only traces of their personal memories and backgrounds, but also the imprint of the chemical reactions that occur when cultures overlap. The identity of “transversal” brings challenges and creates new possibilities. Through the lens of migration, artists bring a new narrative and inject vitality into a landscape that will be forever changed.
Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves brings together the works of five artists from East Asia and the Middle East. Through photography, painting, and installation, it explores cross-cultural narratives of imprint—traces left in daily life, memory, and the body. The works respond to the fluidity of identity and the experience of culture shock in the United States, while also opening new avenues of expression. Each piece reflects the complex relationships between non-Westerners and their new home, using diverse mediums to convey these perspectives. In the forging of a new cultural landscape, a distinct and singular imprint emerges.
This exhibition is a response to the questioning of immigrant identity, a multi-layered art world generated by a new culture. It is not framed by a fixed social narrative or bound by a single cultural context; in this space, identities are reorganized and cultural stories overlap. These artists constitute an island of mobility, engaging in an ongoing reconstruction and dialogue with Western culture that gives rise to boundless new forms. This exhibition hopes to bring more attention to the life-impacting works of Cross-cultural artists from East Asia and the Middle East, and to constitute a culturally-integrated, diverse, and inclusive art community in Washington, DC.
In this context, “transversal” does not merely mean discrete or alienated, but rather a state of integration. Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves invites viewers to step into these intertwined narratives and experience how cultures collide to create different sparks.
Zixin Shang
Curator, Transversal Imprint: Cultures, Places, Selves
Hazal Weil
leaks, 2024
soaked expired 35mm film
18” x 42”
$500
Hazal Weil, multiplied I, 2025, expired 35mm film, 7" x 10", $150
Kevin Kwon, Rhythmic Moment That Echoes, 2021, acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 20", $800
Dina AZ. Salem, /imˈpərfək(t)/ VIII, 2025, Acrylic and sand on canvas, 36" X 48", $3500
Hu Zeqian, In the Caress of the Breeze, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 47.2" x 39.7" x 2", $6600
Artist
Biographies
Artist
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg
-
Ramin Etemadi-Bozorg is a DC-based conceptual artist, sculptor, and educator whose multidisciplinary practice spans hyperreal and conceptual sculpture, painting, installation, performance, and video art. Rooted in compassion, his layered perspectives merge socio-political realities with deeply personal, unspoken narratives, serving as both personal archives and cultural testimonies.
In 2008, he was commissioned to create the hyperreal wax sculpture Kamal-ol-Molk for the Malek National Museum in Tehran, inspiring The Memorable Hands Museum (2014–present), an archive honoring influential Iranian figures. His works are held in permanent collections, including the National War Museum and the Museum of Addiction Prevention.
He has presented fourteen solo exhibitions, created seventeen original performances, and participated in over seventy group exhibitions worldwide, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Akademie der Künste (Berlin), The Craft & Folk Art Museum (Los Angeles), Kadıköy Sineması (Istanbul), Gunnersbury Park Museum (London), and Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris). Career highlights include the MOZAIK Future Art Award (USA), Focus Iran Winner (USA), Tehran Sculpture Biennale, Istanbul Art Fair, and Art Basel events. He is a member of the Washington Sculptors Group, the Iranian Society of Sculptors, and the Iranian Society of Painters.
Artist
Ran Feng
-
Ran Feng is a visual storyteller based in Arlington, Virginia, pursuing a Master’s degree in New Media Photojournalism at George Washington University.
Through photography and film, Ran seeks to capture the small but profound moments that reveal human resilience, memory, and connection. Originally from China, Ran worked as a video journalist before moving to Arlington, Virginia, to continue her studies. In China, she covered stories of people often overlooked—HIV carriers living under stigma, and a disabled woman chasing her dream against all odds. These encounters shaped Ran’s artistic path, instilling a commitment to honor dignity and to share voices that are too easily unheard.
Today, Ran’s work continues this journey, focusing on immigrant experiences in the United States and the realities of aging in America. Each project begins with curiosity and grows into trust, creating space for stories to unfold naturally. For Ran, making art is both an act of listening and a reminder that even in solitude, we are never truly alone.
Artist
Zeqian Hu
-
Hu Zeqian, born and raised in China, currently calls Washington, D.C., his home. Hu’s artistic journey began at a young age, and he eventually graduated from Art school in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, he seized opportunities for growth and learning by engaging with galleries and advertising companies, enriching his experiences and paving the way for a professional career.
In 2020, Hu took a significant step forward by officially launching his career as a professional, independent artist. Through dedication and continuous growth, he collaborated with various galleries and museums to showcase his work across China throughout 2020 and 2021. His work caught the attention of MouArt Gallery, leading to his invitation to participate in the Beijing Contemporary Art Expo in 2023, alongside a personal project exhibition at MWOODS Museum. In early 2024, he embarked on a transformative journey to Berlin, Germany, undertaking a 3-month residency project at GlogauAIR. During his residency, he engaged in many dialogues and collaborations with fellow artists and curators, sharing insights through artist talks, interviews, and by opening his studio to visitors.
During 2024, Hu's work has been featured at Swanfall Gallery in London, Art021Shanghai, and at 2025 Art Central Hong Kong. In 2025, when he had just moved to DC in a few months, he got opportunities to showcase his work with WPA and VisArts.
Artist
Kevin Kwon
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Kevin Kwon primarily works in painting. His background as a graphic designer and his passion for photography have significantly influenced his creative process, blending graphic design problem-solving with a photographic approach. His artwork has been showcased in numerous national and international art exhibitions. Notably, his work was selected for the MFA National Competition at the First Gallery in New York.
Born in Korea, Kevin earned his M.F.A. from the Corcoran School of Art and Design at George Washington University. He now resides in the DMV area, where he continues to create and works as a professor.
Artist
Dina AZ Salem
-
Dina AZ. Salem, born in Alexandria, Egypt, is an abstract artist whose work delves into themes of healing and emotional resilience. Growing up by the Mediterranean Sea, her early talent for representational art was recognized and nurtured by her late father, Ahmed Zaki, whose initials she signs on every piece to honor his legacy.
Dina has exhibited widely, with solo exhibitions including “/mend/” (2023) and “Here, but not here” (2021) at Homme Gallery in Washington, DC. Her work has also appeared in notable group shows, such as “Exchange 2024” at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD, and “Artists’ Choice: Regional Juried Group Show” at Foundry Gallery in Washington, DC.
Her public art contributions include her work on the Graffiti Without Border mural in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She was part of the Sparkplug Collective 2024 at The DC Arts Center, a program supporting the professional and creative development of DC-based artists.
In addition to her studio practice, Dina contributes to the broader arts community through professional service. Most recently, she served as a panelist for the Projects, Events, and Festivals (PEF) Grant Program with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in June 2025.
Artist
Hazal Weil
-
Hazal Weil (b. Istanbul, Turkey) is an experimental photographer and visual artist, currently an M.F.A. candidate at the George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design.
Her studies in architecture in Istanbul have long shaped her sensitivity to form, layering, and the persistence of materials, while her move to the United States six years ago as a new mother remains central to her exploration of memory, care, and transformation in her work. Her practice investigates how analogue processes can remain vital in a digital world and how materials carry memory. Working with expired film, folding, and layering, she explores embodiment as both a visual and transformative language, revealing different ways of seeing and engaging with the fragile yet resilient qualities of the world.
Exploring the intersection of analogue methods and contemporary questions of experimental photography, her work asks: How do materials hold memory? What emerges when chance replaces control, or imperfection is embraced as part of the process? Can nature speak of care, of loss, of the bond between mother and child—like sun to flower, water to seed?
Curator
Biography
Curator
Zixin Shang
Zixin Shang is a multimedia artist and curator with a background in public art and studio art. She is currently enrolled in the M.F.A. in Studio Art program at The George Washington University.
Her paintings, installations, 3D modeling, and photography focus on cross-cultural narratives and expressions of female identity and emotional memory. In 2023, she participated as a solo exhibitor in the annual Untrammeled Young Artists Exhibition, the seventh edition of I'm Here in Xi'an, China, from October 21 - 29, 2024. Her graduation work <<Feast>> was exhibited at Gpark Shopping Center in Xi'an, China, exploring the cultural relationship between rituals and consumption through a multi-visual The experience explores the cultural relationship between ritual and consumption. She received the Dean's Nomination Award and was selected for the 2025 Yearbook of Contemporary Art for Chinese University Students. In December 2024, she independently participated in and completed a group exhibition titled It would be quirky if the show had a name at the Corcoran Museum of Art.
Zixin’s current artistic practice focuses on mixed media works and continues to explore the boundaries of gender, materiality, and cross-cultural identity. As an artist and curator, she considers not only the visual presentation of her work, but also how exhibitions can be structured and how they can become channels for the dissemination of new ideas.
Curatorial Initiative
Fostering the next generation of diverse curators by providing access to a historically inaccessible field.
The Curatorial Initiative reflects The DC Arts Center’s commitment to fostering underrepresented artists by offering a rare, year-long opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of artistic curation. Each year, one to two Apprentice Curators are selected to work alongside a professional Mentor Curator in planning and mounting two to three full-scale exhibitions at The DC Arts Center.
First, with the assistance of the Apprentice Curator, the Mentor Curator leads the curatorial process -- honing vision, selecting artists, crafting a catalog, and bringing an exhibition from concept to installation. Then, the roles are reversed, and the Apprentice Curator leads the curatorial process with the assistance and advice of the Mentor Curator.
The Curatorial Initiative offers the next generation of diverse curators the chance to develop a critical and practical understanding of artistic curation while simultaneously developing an essential professional relationship with an industry-leading curator. Combined, one’s newly developed skillset, relationship, and experience make a future in artistic curation possible.
Visit www.dcartscenter.org/curatorialinitiative to apply.
“By empowering emerging curators to take risks, explore themes relevant to them, and utilize DCAC’s resources, the program encourages a more inclusive representation of the region’s vibrant art scene.”
—Fabiola R. Delgado
2024 Mentor Curator, The Curatorial Initiative
Zeqian Hu
The Everlasting Glow of Dust at Dusk, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
47.2” x 23.6” x 2”
$6000
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2438 18th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
We’re located on the second floor of the building on 18th Street above Mola Empanada and Shiva Tobacco. We’re in between the Jerk Pit and Code Red and located across the street from Tryst. We’re the center door on the ground floor.
Nearest Metro Station
Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (Red Line)
Metrobus Routes
C51, C53, D72, D74