“The Ghosts of Empire” exhibition in Hong Kong, the first part, explores the national sentiments and identity of overseas Chinese artists!

Migrants refer to immigrants who leave their home country, whether temporarily or permanently, carrying with them the cultural ideas of their native people. Ben Brown Fine Arts is about to hold the art exhibition “Ghosts of Empires,” curated by Ghanaian-American writer and curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, bringing together a diverse group of exceptional contemporary migrant artists from Africa and Asia to explore how they engage in conversations about slavery, immigration, colonialism, sovereignty, trade, and imperialism in the present era.

The exhibition will be divided into two parts, with Brown Gallery presenting the first part of the works and continuing this dialogue in the London space in the fall of 2022. The 12 artists featured include: Hurvin Anderson, Adam de Boer, Delphine Desane, Theaster Gates, Jeanne F. Jalandoni, Chris Ofili, Fadekemi Ogunsanya, Maia Cruz Palileo, Miguel Angel Payano Jr., Paul Anthony Smith, Liwen Yin, and Wou-Ki Zao.

Curator Larry Ossei-Mensah was inspired by Kojin Karatani’s “The Empire of Ghosts,” knowing that many communities, especially African and Asian peoples, have been oppressed by colonization and imperialism, but they continue to thrive and create rich cultures. Therefore, he hopes to explore how these creative diasporic individuals engage with liberation, resistance, and resilience in these histories.

In the exhibition, we can see artists using painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, and various mixed media, employing both traditional and innovative ways of creation, to find methods to examine their unique and diverse cultural histories. Audiences can thus see the national histories, cultures, and identities hidden within these artists everywhere.

“The Empire’s Ghost”
Date: March 22 to May 14, 2022
Time: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Location: Brown Gallery Hong Kong, 1 Yip Fat Street, The Factory, Room 201

Image source and learn more: Ben Brown Fine Arts Hong Kong