Common Thread:
Wave Collective Anniversary Show
Curator’s note
Wave Collective turns two this year, and with that milestone we reflect not only on the life of this space but on the community that has grown around it. From the beginning, Wave has been more than a gallery— it has been a place where connection, collaboration, and care are woven into every gathering, every conversation, every piece of art that has passed through these walls.
Common Thread was born out of that spirit. At a time when the world often feels like it is unraveling, this exhibition asks us to notice what binds us together: memory, place, family, ritual, and shared experience. But it also invites us inward, toward the threads that connect us to ourselves. The process of making and reflecting on art becomes a form of self-exploration— a way of mapping our inner terrain, tracing where we come from, and asking who we are becoming.
The works in this show embody these ideas in many forms. Some trace lineages, migration, and ancestry; others explore cultural traditions, chosen families, or the boundaries we cross and redraw. Certain pieces use textiles, fiber, and repetition as literal material, while others map connection abstractly— through gestures, memory, or emotional cartography. Still others chart the deeply personal: internal landscapes of healing, identity, and self-discovery.
Some works are playful, others contemplative; some literal, others abstract. Together, they form a tapestry of voices that, while distinct, are undeniably interwoven. Common Thread is both a celebration and a reminder: our threads— to each other, to history, and to ourselves— matter most when they’re entwined.
— Belinda Huang