Artist Caroline Liu’s temporary installation, on view in the Art Vault at Gallery One in City Hall, casts light on a dark period of New Mexico history. Her recreation of The Chinese Garden in the Mimbres Valley will be on display until March 2025.
In the late 1800s, the Wah family ran an established garden in southwestern New Mexico full of flowers, fruits and vegetables that was called an “Oasis in the Desert.” The garden in the Mimbres Valley provided food for neighboring towns and was a destination retreat for tourists. The time period, branded by Western imperialists and racist ideologues as “The Yellow Peril,” was characterized by fear, distrust and racism targeted at East Asian workers who were seen as a threat to their livelihoods. Many Anglo-Americans demanded their exile back to China, resulting in the Chinese Exclusion Act of May 1882. The act remained in effect until it was repealed in 1943 and Chinese people were legally allowed to enter the US.
“This installation takes inspiration from the Wah family’s garden to shine light on a Chinese family that persevered to create something beautiful for their family, their culture and their community,” Liu says. “The Wah family, along with many other Chinese families, laid the foundation for the thriving Chinese communities that flourish in New Mexico today.”
The garden is protected by Menshen — traditional Chinese deities that protect inhabitants from any harm and allow positive spirits to enter — and visitors are invited to look through news articles and documents posted on the trailhead board to uncover a code to open the garden door.
“What Caroline has done is exactly what the space is for – she has made something that is fun, peaceful and beautiful from a very dark period in this country’s history,” says project manager Madrone Matishak. “We are thrilled to open this work to the public.”
“Having a first-rate art gallery at City Hall with easy and free access is a real asset to Albuquerque families,” Mayor Tim Keller says. “The Art Vault inside the gallery is a true hidden gem, the old City Treasury safe transformed into a creative, thought-provoking space folks can enter and be immersed in.”
Gallery One is located on the first floor of City Hall at 1 Civic Plaza NW. The installation is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Liu’s Chinese Garden will be on view in the Art Vault through March 2025.