Amanda Ba Rethinks the Power of Sport in New San Francisco Show

Where “heroism, aggression and eroticism” play out in every pose, every punch.

Exhibitions
0 Comments

Summary

  • Micki Meng in San Francisco is currently presenting For Sport by Amanda Ba through June 27.
  • In a showcase of seven figurative paintings, Ba examines the cultural mythos embedded in sports, spectacle and athleticism.

As the NBA Finals heats up, a new exhibition in San Francisco invites us to consider the stories that empower our beloved games. At Micki Meng, Chinese American painter Amanda Ba presents For Sport, her debut solo exhibition in the NorCal hub, turning to the language of athleticism — bodies in motion, muscles under tension – as a means to explore deeper themes of identity, spectacle and power.

The works on view build off the ideas in Ba’s Developing Desire exhibition staged at Jeffrey Deitch last fall, this time zeroing in on the psychosexual drama of high-performance sport. In this showcase of seven figurative paintings, a newly conjured cast of characters take on the likes of boxers, hunters, synchronized swimmers, basketball players, weightlifters and skiers. While embodying the grit and grace of their respective games, the East Asian female protagonists push against stereotypes of obedience and hyperfemininity, asserting strength, agency and emotional complexity in their intensely muscular presentations.

In a recent interview with Dazed, Ba cited last year’s Paris Olympics as a key inspiration: “It’s such a nationalistic display of soft power,” she said. “And it’s so easy, for me even, to be influenced by judgments of those moments and project them onto a view of an entire nation.” Here, mega-events, like the Olympics, act as arenas where “heroism, aggression and eroticism” play out in every pose, every punch. More than affirming a hometown or namely national pride, Ba explores how these competitions dually reinforce and refract cultural mythos and global hierarchies.

Highlights include “Knockout I & II,” where two female boxers face off beneath stadium lights, their confrontation both brutal and balletic, echoing struggles beyond the ring. Additionally, “Hunters” depicts a figure traveling amid a pack of beagles. With a shotgun slung over the shoulder and face shadowed by the bill of a Sherlock’s hat, the piece rides the line between a “primitive activity” — done in the name of survival and “for sport.”

The exhibition is now on view in San Francisco through June 27.

Micki Meng Bayview
1720 Armstrong Ave.,
San Francisco, CA 94124

Read Full Article

What to Read Next

Young Asian Artists Are Facing a Market Slowdown

Young Asian Artists Are Facing a Market Slowdown

Artists who previously led the pack are seeing sharp declines.

Japanese Sculptor Kunimasa Aoki Wins 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
Exhibitions

Japanese Sculptor Kunimasa Aoki Wins 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize

His winning terracotta piece, “Realm of Living Things 19,” champions the ancestral and the innovative.

New Frida Kahlo Museum is Coming to Mexico City

New Frida Kahlo Museum is Coming to Mexico City

Opening this September.

Art, Sound and Form Converge in ‘The Rule of Three’ Exhibition at otherthings by THE SHOPHOUSE
Exhibitions

Art, Sound and Form Converge in ‘The Rule of Three’ Exhibition at otherthings by THE SHOPHOUSE

Featurinf ceramics by Karena Lam, paintings by Hilarie Hon and music by Olivier Cong.

Peter Sutherland Builds Meaning From Mess in ‘Cloud Painting’
Exhibitions

Peter Sutherland Builds Meaning From Mess in ‘Cloud Painting’

Paintings and sculptures inspired by skate culture and natural landscapes.


Lawrence Lek Unpacks the Emotional Fallout of Tech-Powered Futures in 'NOX High-Rise'
Exhibitions

Lawrence Lek Unpacks the Emotional Fallout of Tech-Powered Futures in 'NOX High-Rise'

Exploring “the problems and promises of AI in an age of automation.”

Wing Shya Opens the Vault for New 'Day / Night' Polaroid Collection

Wing Shya Opens the Vault for New 'Day / Night' Polaroid Collection

Featuring a mix of personal snapshots, intimate portraits and behind-the-scenes stills from Wong Kar-wai classics.

teamlab Biovortex Kyoto Set To Open This Fall
Exhibitions

teamlab Biovortex Kyoto Set To Open This Fall

A new permanent immersive museum with rotating installations.

Explore Pan Daijing's Sonic Abyss in 'Sudden Places'
Exhibitions

Explore Pan Daijing's Sonic Abyss in 'Sudden Places'

The artist’s U.S. solo museum debut, now on view at Walker Art Center.

More ▾
 
We got you covered. Don’t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.

Looks like you’re using an ad-blocker

We charge advertisers instead of our readers. Support us by whitelisting our site.

Whitelist Us

How to Whitelist Us

screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlock icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Under “Pause on this site” click “Always”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlock Plus icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Block ads on – This website” switch off the toggle to turn it from blue to gray.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlocker Ultimate icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Switch off the toggle to turn it from “Enabled on this site” to “Disabled on this site”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the Ghostery icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Click on the “Ad-Blocking” button at the bottom. It will turn gray and the text above will go from “ON” to “OFF”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the UBlock Origin icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Click on the large blue power icon at the top.
  3. When it turns gray, click the refresh icon that has appeared next to it or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the icon of the ad-blocker extension installed on your browser.You’ll usually find this icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. You may have more than one ad-blocker installed.
  2. Follow the instructions for disabling the ad blocker on the site you’re viewing.You may have to select a menu option or click a button.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.