Cultural Encounters: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945-Present

“By addressing multiple layers of cultural exchange, this exhibition aims to enhance understanding of the complex nature of modern Latin American and Caribbean societies.”

– Adriana Ospina, Curator

Featuring approximately 70 important works of art, plus ephemera and video, Cultural Encounters: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945–Present considers the impact of migration, mixed racial heritage and global interchange in modern and contemporary art in Latin America and the Caribbean by providing a comprehensive look at the work of those who migrated from Asia to the Americas during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Inspired by the Art Museum of the Americas' at the Organization of the American States’ permanent collection as the foundation, the exhibition features key works from their collection. Due to the seminal work of AMA’s first director on the impact of the Asian diasporas on the art of the Americans, the collection highlights selections by M.P. Alladin, Tikashi Fukushima, Arturo Kubotta, Soeki Irodikromo,Wifredo Lam, Manabu Mabe, Tomie Ohtake, Kazuya Sakai, Venancio Shinki, Carlos Runcie Tanaka, Eduardo Tokeshi, and Kazuo Wakabayashi among others. Inclusion of historical photographs, video, and ephemera will further demonstrate how their work is the product of multi-directional global dialogues between their Asian cultural heritages, and their Latin American or Caribbean identities as well as their colloquy with the major artist movements of their time.

By considering the multiple layers of cultural exchange, assimilation, acculturation, and transculturation, Cultural Encounters will enhance viewer’s understanding of the complex nature of modern Latin American and Caribbean societies, presenting in exhibition form a topic that has been underrepresented in art historical discourse.

Please contact TravelingExhibitions@ArtsandArtists.org for more information.

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