Asia/America

This text documents an exhibition at New York's Asia Society. The book and show examines the work of 20 foreign-born contemporary Asian-American visual artists - from China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam - each of whom is concerned with the complex issues of identity for Asians living in the West. Three essays provide diverse frameworks for understanding the paintings, sculpture, photographs, and installations included in the exhibition, and together they form a contribution to Asian-American studies. John Kuo Wei Tchen chronicles the history of Asian immigration to America and provides an overview of the issues surrounding contemporary Asian-American identity. Vishakha N. Desai, herself an Indian-born American, discusses the kinds of changes that immigrants experience when they leave an Asian homeland. Margo Machida draws on her interviews with the artists to explore how the process of mediating between cultures shapes each artist's work. Biographies of the artists as well as reproductions of their work are included.