The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean

On September 4, Americas Society opens The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean, the first exhibition in New York City to center artists of Asian origin or descent from Latin America and the Caribbean from 1950s to the present. On view through December 14, the show contextualizes their work within histories of transoceanic migration, displacement, and resettlement. 

The notion of “appearance” becomes an open-ended framework whose elusiveness is symptomatic of Asian diasporic experiences and whose meanings and symbolisms are in constant negotiation and transformation. From ways of becoming visible—including different types of apparitions—to the idea of impression and physical semblance, the artists in this show grapple with the complexities of negotiating (in)visibility, (il)legibility, and (im)materiality in societies that have largely excluded Asians from narratives of national identity, often casting them as outsiders. 

An appearance in and of itself, the exhibition approaches diaspora as an embodied experience and as an intellectual concept, underscoring the political implications of positioning oneself as a diasporic subject in order to address historical silences. The Appearance contributes to a broader reflection on the relationship between artistic production and the histories of racialization that intersect in the region, opening space for dialogues that transgress national borders. 

By gathering artists from distinct origins and contexts under the same space, it parallels the diasporic imagination of a homeland, focusing on a constitutive aspect of diaspora: the strategies to negotiate space in hegemonic centers. Its artworks reflect and forge different narratives and possibilities of belonging, ultimately reshaping the conditions of Asian diasporic visibility while fostering new modes of appearing. 

To accompany the show, Americas Society is publishing a catalog and is organizing a series of public programs, including events in partnership with the Asia Art Archives in America and the Asia Society. 

Artists in the show include: Esvin Alarcón Lam, Ching Ho Cheng, Albert Chong, Cecile Chong, Chen Kong Fang, Laura Fong Prosper, Tikashi Fukushima, Mimian Hsu, Soeki Irodikromo, Mario N. Ishikawa, Lina Kim, Wifredo Lam, Caroline Ricca Lee, Suwon Lee, Dan Lie, Suchitra Mattai, Cisco Merel, Sandra Nakamura, Tomie Ohtake, Lydia Okumura, Chantal Peñalosa Fong, Gala Porras-Kim, Kazuya Sakai, Kim Yun Shin, Kelly Sinnapah Mary, Carlos Runcie Tanaka, Yuli Yamagata, David Zink Yi, and Alice Yura.  

Curated by Tie Jojima and Yudi Rafael.

Public programs
Ghost Stories x Asia Art Archives in America: A conversation with the Asianish collective
Wednesday, October 2, from 6 to 8pm ET
Americas Society, in person
More information.

The Appearance: A program presented by Americas Society and Asia Society
Tuesday, October 29, from 2:30 to 8pm ET
Speakers include Mariola Alvarez, Howie Chen, Kolleen Ku, and Tao Leigh Goffe
Americas Society and Asia Society, in person
More information.

Art at Americas Society's Performance series: Dictée/Exilée by Suwon Lee
Wednesday, November 20, from 6 to 8pm ET
Americas Society, in person
More information. 

The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean is made possible by generous lead support from Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas). Additional support for the exhibition and related programming is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Cowles Charitable Trust, the Japan Foundation, Instituto Guimarães Rosa, Carolyn Hsu-Balcer and René Balcer, and the Garcia Family Foundation. In-kind support is provided by Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte.  

For press inquiries, contact mediarelations@as-coa.org. For general inquiries, contact art@as-coa.org