Upcoming exhibitions
In the Shadow of Afong Moy
January 26, 2027 – July 2027
In 1834, a girl arrived at the port of New York from Guangzhou. Known only by the pidgin name “Afong Moy,” she had been brought to the United States by American merchants, who would go on to stage her exhibition alongside displays of imported Chinese art, furniture, and other wares. In the Shadow of Afong Moy contends with the complicated history of a person made to endure life of spectacle and asks what it means to think, write, and make art in her shadow.
Centering film, photography, and ceramic work by contemporary artists Maegan Houang, Tommy Kha, and Sin-ying Ho alongside images and objects of nineteenth-century Chinese migration and trade, this exhibition reflects upon the genealogies of objectification and exotification endured by Asian women in the U.S., but also ask what forms of regard and recognition can exist in their wake.
Curated by Caitlin Beach, Associate Professor, PhD Program in Art History