Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the Asian Diaspora
December 13, 2025 – July 19, 2026
For generations, the word “Orient” has been used in ways that stereotype Asian identities. Rooted in Western imperialism, the term helped create a false sense of separation and “otherness” for many Asian cultures. Dis/orient challenges this history by using humor, memory, and tradition to push back against the idea of a single, monolithic “Orient.”
From Stephanie Shih’s ceramic sculptures inspired by familiar grocery items to Asuka Anastacia Ogawa’s dreamlike paintings shaped by her Japanese and Brazilian heritage, the artists in Dis/orient use layered symbols and stories to explore how colonialism and its legacies continue to shape everyday life.
Together, these works remind us that the Asian diaspora is a wide-ranging collection of experiences marked by resilience, creativity, and continual transformation.
Artists represented in the exhibition include Korakrit Arunanondchai, Yun-Fei Ji, Taiyo Kimura, Asuka Anastacia Ogawa, Ravelle Pillay, Pinaree Sanpitak, Stephanie H. Shih, Do Ho Suh, and Liên Trương.
Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the Asian Diaspora is curated by Julianne Miao, Curatorial Associate at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
Support
Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the Asian Diaspora is made possible by The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions.
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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.
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Liên Trương, My mother, she fell from the sky, 2021. Oil, silk, acrylic, copper pigment, and enamel on canvas, 72 × 96 inches (182.88 × 243.84 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Museum purchase with funds provided by Christine and Jeffery Weller, 2022.12.1. © Liên Trương. Image courtesy of the artist and Turner Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe.
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Ravelle Pillay, The Invitation, 2022. Oil on canvas, 47 1/4 × 47 1/4 inches (120.02 × 120.02 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Museum purchase, 2023.12.1. © Ravelle Pillay. Image courtesy of Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg and Deniz Guzel.
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Korakrit Arunanondchai, Untitled (history painting), 2013. Denim and inkjet print on canvas, 86 × 64 inches (218.44 × 162.56 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Gift of the Bronzini-Traykovski Family, 2021.7.1. © Korakrit Arunanondchai. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G New York / Brussels.
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Taiyo Kimura, Haunted by You, 2009. Video (color, sound), edition 1/8, 4:20 minutes. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Museum purchase with funds provided by The Lori and David Arthur Fund for Asian Art, 2011.4.1. © Taiyo Kimura. Image still courtesy of the artist.
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Pinaree Sanpitak, ,The Mirror, 2009. Aluminum and mirrored glass, edition 2/6, 7 × 76 × 37 1/2 inches (17.8 × 193 × 95.3 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC. Gift of Frances P. Rollins in honor of Kimerly Rorschach (P’11, P’13, founding Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director), 2012.16.2. © Pinaree Sanpitak. Image courtesy of the artist and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, New York.
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Stephanie H. Shih, Botan Calrose Rice (Pallet), 2023. Ceramic, wooden pallet, 30 × 30 × 22 inches (76.2 × 76.2 × 55.88 cm). © Stephanie H. Shih. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCO Gallery.
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