‘Wonder Women’ Highlights the Importance of Telling Asian American and Diasporic Stories

Artist Profiles 1 min read

New research finds anti-Asian hate crimes have ballooned a whopping 339 percent over the past two years.

In response to the sharp rise in racial violence, NYC gallery Jeffrey Deitch presents Wonder Women, a group exhibition featuring figurative works from 30 Asian American and diasporic women and nonbinary artists. The exhibition, curated by the gallery’s managing director, Kathy Huang, is currently on view until June 25, 2022.

NYC gallery Jeffrey Deitch presents Wonder Women, a group exhibition featuring figurative works from 30 Asian American and diasporic women and nonbinary artists. — ‘Moon Dreamer’ by Hiba Schahbaz

“The increasing violence against Asian Americans, particularly against Asian women and the elderly, emphasizes the need to tell our own stories. Figuration allows the artists to present themselves, their communities, and their histories on their own terms,” says Huang of the exhibition.

The keystone of Wonder Women, and Huang’s ultimate inspiration, is Genny Lim’s aptly-titled poem “Wonder Woman”:

I look at them and wonder if

They are a part of me

I look in their eyes and wonder if

They share my dreams

Presenting the narrator as an outsider looking in, the poem ponders how, in observing Asian women from all walks of life, we can trace commonalities and connect shared threads. Wonder Women expands on themes of identity and the self with figurative works that lay bare the lives of teenagers, debutantes, matrons, and sex workers alike.

Tackling subjects as diverse as family, personal mythologies, and Western colonial power structures, Wonder Women works to expose those stories silenced by a deafening wave of violence. Hailing from all over the globe, many of these artists are connected by an abstract web of friendship, collaboration, and shared dreams.

Scroll down to see a selection of images from Wonder Women, which includes work from Jeanne Jalandoni, Amanda Ba, Zoé Blue M., Hiba Schahbaz, Bambou Gili, and GaHee Park, among others. For the full list of artists and more information, please visit Jeffrey Dietch.