Till Echoes Can Be Heard: Tzu Chi in New York
Written by Adriana DiBenedetto and Ida Eva Zielinska
Published #74 | Fall 2024 Issue
A tribute to resilience and unity, “Till Echoes Can Be Heard” lifts up the Tzu Chi spirit of compassion for all, as well as voices from across the rich yet complex cultural environment of New York. Photo/Pinhau Chiou
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From August 8 to 31, 2024, Tzu Chi USA held an exhibition at the High Line Nine Galleries in Manhattan, New York. Entitled Till Echoes Can Be Heard, it featured documentary photographs and videos demonstrating Tzu Chi’s involvement in the New York area across decades.
From moments of solace in times of crisis to acts of kindness that bridge divides and collaborations that celebrate shared humanity, these images created a compelling collage, expressing Tzu Chi’s enduring and heartfelt care for humanity in our perpetually changing times.
As Tzu Chi’s altruistic spirit and initiatives have touched the New York community, the city’s resilient inhabitants continually shape and enrich Tzu Chi’s mission. Especially in the face of adversity, New Yorkers demonstrate an inner strength and unity that resonate deeply with Tzu Chi’s core principles of compassion and universal love. This exhibition was a tribute to a deeply rooted and ever-growing bond.
Till Echoes Can Be Heard also featured artwork and projects from several artists. Their creations provided different humanistic perspectives to explore how individuals can embrace goodwill and responsibility and participate in positive social change. At the same time, viewers could meditate on the interconnectedness within the rich yet complex cultural environment of New York, where individuals encounter each other and the times intensely and daily.
Terry Berkowitz (“Remains of the Day”) presented a meditation on isolation during the pandemic. The artist took nearly 200 photographs during daily walks through mostly deserted streets and parks in New York City and elsewhere. To connect with others during this extraordinary time, she shared an image a day on social media.
Xiang Yang (“Traveling Stools”) created stools from discarded antique furniture. The transformation of the abandoned objects is an allegory for reincarnation. The work has traveled internationally, with New York as its stop in August 2024.
Peter Lin (“Original Face”), who participates in and documents Tzu Chi’s disaster relief and community assistance activities, shared photos that zoom directly into the heart, capturing the flow of emotion between Tzu Chi volunteers and care recipients.
Lihua Chen (“Hi Strangers”) used her new immigrant identity to explore an unfamiliar society. Her art project acted as a communication tool that can break cultural barriers and encourage the kindness of strangers.
Z.Y. (“Here and There”) utilized an iconic visual symbol for New Yorkers – the MetroCard – as the base for his art. He drew daily life scenes on discarded cards collected all over the city.
Norah Lin (“Humans of Chinatown”), a New York high school student, featured interviews and portraits of older individuals involved in Tzu Chi’s food distributions. The project promoted cultural continuity by preserving a community’s heritage.
Daryn Huang (“The Masked Odyssey”) presented an installation created from now-expired face masks and medical shoe covers garnered to support New York’s needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, transforming them into a testament to suffering and resilience.
Collectively, the exhibition’s content, displayed across distinct galleries in three sections – Connection Through Care; Clear Sight, New Perspectives; and Serving With Compassion: Tzu Chi’s Humanitarian Aid in New York – explored identity, belonging, and the interaction between different cultures and religions. It reminded us that in today’s diverse society, “compassion” signifies openness and acceptance, and “relief” calls on each individual to speak out in solidarity, promoting individual and societal responsibility within the context of globalization. Till Echoes Can Be Heard, the exhibition’s title, asked us to reflect on how if everyone embraced compassion, acted kindly, and collaborated, we could surely generate broader and more profound positive effects.
