Join us for a conversation about a new generation of young Asian curators creating a different and fascinating dialogue around Asian art exhibitions in the United States. Scholar Amy Kahng will discuss the curatorial disciplines from an academic perspective; Yiwei Lu, a Los Angeles-based curator, gallerist, filmmaker, and writer will bring in the unique perspective of the West coast pop-up exhibition strategy; and Phil Cai, partner at Eli Klein Gallery, will address the commercial aspects of curation. Moderated by Hongzheng Han, guest curatorial assistant for the Asia Society Museum exhibition Mirror Image: A Transformation of Chinese Identity.

The exhibition Mirror Image: A Transformation of Chinese Identity. will be open from 5:30 to 6:30 pm for program attendees. Admission is free with program registration.

Panelists:

Phil Zheng Cai graduated from Sotheby’s Institute of Art with a master’s degree in 2014. He has held posts at Mary Boone Gallery and Phillips Auctioneers, and is currently a Partner at Eli Klein Gallery focusing on Chinese contemporary art where he has presented solo shows for artists such as Cai Dongdong, Chow Chun Fai, Shen Fan, Li Hongbo, Ho Kan, and Ji Zhou among others. He has also curated critically acclaimed group exhibitions, including most recently Alienation? in 2021. Phil also works in the domain of art criticism and translation of texts on philosophy. His has authored a number of exhibition reviews for Widewalls Magazine, and his most recent critical text "Everything can become an NFT, is it true?" was published by the New York Times, T Magazine China. His translated book The Story of Philosophy was published by Shanghai Yuandong Press in 2020.

Amy Kahng is a PhD candidate in Art History and Criticism at Stony Brook University. Her dissertation project examines twentieth century Asian American artists and their relationship to land and landscape. Other research interests include global contemporary art, modern and contemporary art in Korea, and transnational feminist art practices. Her MA thesis centered on South Korean artist Lee Bul’s practice from the 1990s. Amy is an independent curator and recently exhibited Mis/Communication: Language and Power in Contemporary Art and Printing Solidarity: Tricontinental Graphics from Cuba. She is currently working on an exhibition revisiting Frank Bowling’s historic 5+1 exhibition at Stony Brook University.

Yiwei Lu is a Los Angeles-based curator, gallerist, filmmaker, and writer. She was born and raised in China. At the age of 18, she moved to Los Angeles and attended Loyola Marymount University to study film production and photography.  She then pursued a master’s degree in Visual Anthropology at the University of Southern California. In 2021, she established Yiwei Gallery on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice Beach. As a curator, Lu strives to highlight the works of international and female artists, photographers, and multi-media creatives through out-of-the-box approaches. Additionally, Lu is a column writer for two art magazines, Chinese Photographers and Chip Foto Video. She is dedicated to documenting her conversations with artists, curators, book publishers, collectors, and gallerists, believing people at all stages of the art process should be recognized for their efforts. She has published more than 30 articles about art, art market, and collecting. When she is not curating, Lu is continuing to grow her skills in documentary filmmaking and fine art photography. Her work has been shown on major TV stations and exhibitions.

Hongzheng Han (moderator) received their BFA with honors from Parsons, the New School in 2017, and an MA with distinction from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU in 2019. During their study at the IFA, Han co-founded IFA Contemporary Asia, the first pan-Asian art forum at NYU. Han is now an international curator and a program director at Asian Creative Foundation. Focusing on queer and racial identities, Han has been invited as a guest speaker at University of Edinburgh, University of Michigan, University of Pittsburg, New York University, Brooklyn Rail, Christie's Education, and the Asian Creative Collective. Recent curatorial works include Within Global Isolation: Asian Artists in America and Beyond Borders: Art in the Post COVID Era. Han is the guest curatorial assistant for Mirror Image: A Transformation of Chinese Identity.