An exhibit by a Hong Kong-born artist Mary Sui Yee Wong opens next week at the Richmond Art Gallery and explores themes of Orientalism, personal memory, family legacy and cultural history.
The exhibit, Restless by Nature: Mary Sui Yee Wong, 1990s to the present will be on display from April 12 to June 8 and is part of the 2025 Capture Photography Festival Selected Exhibition Program.
Wong's artwork includes sculpture, photography, video and costume pieces, along with a new, performance-based work that addresses the rise of violent anti-Asian sentiment across North America following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Many of her art pieces have been updated or rendered site-specific for the Richmond Art Gallery since they were first displayed in the 1990s.
Born in Hong Kong, Wong is the daughter of the legendary Cantonese opera master Toa Wong.
After living in Vancouver from 1963 to 1988, Wong relocated to Montreal where she is a multidisciplinary artist.
She is also a mentor and advocate within the Chinese community, and her work was showcased at the Toronto-based Griffin Arts Projects in 2021.
One highlight of the Richmond exhibition is Wong's Yellow Apparel fashion line.
The name is a play on words of the once-popular American Apparel brand and the term "yellow peril," a racist phrase that once described fears about Asian influence threatening Western civilization.
Wong's performance piece, Gold Mountain, will take place on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. During the performance, she will smash a model of a pagoda before covering the resulting mound in gold leaf.
This act symbolizes "the visual currency of systemic racism, as driven by a neoliberal economy, spotlighting the danger and destruction experienced by countless members of the Asian community," according to the Richmond Art Gallery.
Curator Zoë Chan noted Wong often exhibits in "alternative sites or on more ephemeral platforms" and is excited to have her work showcased in Richmond.
"It is truly an honour to be able to present her work to audiences here and I hope this exhibition will generate fresh interest in Wong’s multifaceted practice," said Chan.
The opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 12, from 2 to 4 p.m., with a performance by the Vancouver Chinese Choir.
For events linked to Wong's exhibition, visit the Richmond Art Gallery website.
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