Asia Art Archive in America (AAAinA) is pleased to present Ghost Stories: Highlights from Asia Art Archive in America, an exhibition in collaboration with Art at Americas Society. Ghost Stories: Highlights from Asia Art Archive in America presents books and archival materials from AAAinA’s collection that enrich and expand upon the histories and legacies of the Asian diaspora. This partnership is particularly significant as many of the artists in the concurrent exhibition The Appearance utilize various forms of archival materials to highlight historical erasures of Asian experiences within many Latin American and Caribbean contexts.

Ghost Stories: Highlights from Asia Art Archive in America showcases the performance, titled Ghost Stories, by Singaporean artist and writer Lee Wen that took place in Chiapas, Mexico in 1997. One of the most prominent names in the field of performance art, Lee layered this work with social commentary and critiques of various forms of state repression. This performance includes broken chairs and references ghosts, both of which function like doubles for the haunting and the injured. During the performance, Lee repeatedly chanted the phrase (originally from a Chinese idiom) “Kill the chickens to frighten the monkeys.” This chant metaphorically represents the violence and disappearances used by authoritarian governments to control their citizens. Also highlighted in this exhibition are books from AAAinA’s collection which feature conversations and works by artists in The Appearance as well as those that relate to larger histories of the Asian diaspora throughout the world.

Ghost Stories: Highlights from Asia Art Archive in America will be presented in Americas Society Library and Archives exhibition space from September 4, 2024 through December 14, 2025.

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Asia Art Archive in America and is curated by Claire Kim and Tie Jojima, with assistance from Ying Chiun Lee.

AAAinA’s general programming and operations are funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, Ruth Foundation, and the Vilcek Foundation.