lost in transcreation
an inquiry into belonging with hope ainsworth and ria unson
EXHIBIT DETAILS
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Date: September 4 – October 10, 2026
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Location: Curated Gallery, St. Louis Artists Guild, 12 North Jackson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105
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Artist Talk: Friday, September 4 | 6 PM – 6:30 PM
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Opening Reception: Friday, September 4 | 6:30 PM – 8 PM
Through a “call and response” process, two multidisciplinary artists create a collection of work based on a series of prompts around the themes of identity and perception and how these concepts shape their lived experiences as Filipina-Americans. Through 2D and 3D work with paint, glue, found objects, and textiles, Hope and Ria explore what it means to be translated, mediated, or just be confusing. What kind of material remains when two women engage in an excavation of third culture? How does their ongoing conversation mirror a broader one as it relates to meaningful connection across cultural collision?
FEATURED ARTISTS
Hope Ainsworth is an experimental artist based in St. Louis. Born in Kansas City and raised in rural Missouri where she began making multi-media art as a child for practical reasons; a means to obtain items of desire. She went on to study fine arts and work as a scenic and production artist which greatly influenced her work. For 20 years, she has shown work in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums (mainly) across Missouri.
An award-winning St. Louis artist born in Manila, Ria Unson weaves global colonial history with her personal archive. After learning her great grandfather was part of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair "human zoo," she found herself living in the same neighborhood that housed the exhibit. Her work has been featured on PBS NewsHour, in The New York Times, and is in the Missouri History Museum’s permanent collection.