Art of Elan: Identities

Join Art of Elan for a pre-concert talk at 6:15 pm with featured performer Fiona Digney and sound engineer Peter Otto.

In partnership with ICA San Diego / North in Encinitas, Art of Elan presents a musical program that explores identity and how it informs our various roles as individuals, family members, and members of society in general. Featuring the North American premiere of Steve Reich’s  “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ,” all performed by percussionist Fiona Digney along with sound engineer Peter Otto, this not-to-be-missed event features a pre-concert talk with the artists as well as a chance to view the Ethan Chan / David Peña exhibit tied to themes of identity and healing.

Identity is not static—it is shaped by memory, movement, and transformation. It is built from fragments of personal experience and cultural history, constantly shifting in response to time and place. Identities explores the fluidity of selfhood, the echoes of heritage, and the tensions between belonging and isolation.

This program is inspired by the work of artists Ethan Chan and David Peña, who both use their art to process and reflect on healing—Chan, from the loneliness and alienation heightened by the pandemic, and Peña, from the grief of losing his grandfather. Chan’s work interrogates the aesthetics of Americana and its relationship to racial identity, exploring how cultural symbols define and exclude. His sculptures, performances, and installations reflect a deep engagement with the complexities of Asian American identity, questioning who is seen, who is heard, and how belonging is constructed in contemporary America.

The music in Identities mirrors these themes of transformation, displacement, and resilience.

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