When you hear the word "promise," what do you imagine? Is it the inevitable, a pledge to uphold, or a reflection of one's character? Is it a vow made to those who came before or a commitment to those yet to come?

Yaksok (약속), meaning "promise" in Korean, gathers 13 Korean American artists whose work reflects on KAAC's foundational mission: representing stories within their communities while combating colonial history to shape a more inclusive future. The exhibition asks us to consider the promises that bind us—to our ancestors who sacrificed and survived, to our communities struggling to be seen and heard, to the next generation inheriting both our triumphs and our failures.

Theme and Vision

As our world continues to evolve through voices rooted in political, cultural, and social exchange, Yaksok presents each member's unique narrative told through materiality, ancestral craft, or cultural conversations filtered through a contemporary and diasporic lens. The works in this exhibition span painting, sculpture, textile, installation, photography, and mixed media—each piece a testament to the diverse practices and perspectives within the Korean American artistic community.

Some artists reach back into history, excavating forgotten stories and traditional techniques. Others push forward into speculative futures, imagining what liberation might look like. Many occupy the liminal space of diaspora, where identity is hyphenated, fluid, and constantly negotiated. The exhibition becomes a conversation between past and present, tradition and innovation, memory and imagination.

The artists participate in a vision beyond their own, framing a new story that bridges diverse ideas for those seeking to belong. In a cultural moment marked by increasing polarization and the flattening of Asian American identities into stereotype and spectacle, Yaksok insists on specificity, nuance, and self-determination. These artists refuse to be spoken for; instead, they speak, and in speaking, they create space for others to do the same.

The exhibition challenges viewers to consider what it means to make and keep promises—to ancestors, to community, to the future. What do we owe to those who survived colonization, war, and displacement so that we might exist? What do we owe to our communities facing ongoing marginalization and violence? What do we owe to the future, and what kind of world are we promising to create?

Yaksok does not offer easy answers. Instead, it presents 13 distinct perspectives, 13 ways of grappling with inheritance and responsibility, 13 visions of what a promise might mean. Together, these works form a collective meditation on the weight and possibility of commitment—personal, political, and communal.