Asuka Anastacia Ogawa, Meu Sol, 2021. Acrylic on canvas, 60 × 84 × 2 1/4 inches (152.4 × 213.36 × 5.72 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Museum purchase with funds provided by Stuart Barr and Sarah Mackey, 2021.28.1. © Asuka Anastacia Ogawa. Image courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo.
DURHAM, NC.- The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University presents Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the Asian Diaspora, a focused exhibition that examines how artists of Asian descent confront long-standing stereotypes embedded in the word “Orient.” Rooted in Western imperialism, the term historically enforced a sense of distance and “otherness” that continues to shape cultural perceptions today. Dis/orient brings together artists who use humor, memory, tradition, and personal narrative to challenge this legacy and illuminate the richness and multiplicity of the Asian diaspora.
Featuring works ranging from Stephanie H. Shih’s ceramic sculptures inspired by everyday grocery items to Asuka Anastacia Ogawa’s dreamlike paintings shaped by her Japanese and Brazilian heritage, the exhibition highlights how layered symbols and stories can expose the subtle ways colonial histories persist in daily life. Collectively, the artists reveal a dynamic field of diasporic experiences—marked by resilience, creativity, and ongoing transformation…