Richmond Art Gallery (RAG) is thrilled to announce the important new retrospective Restless by Nature: Mary Sui Yee Wong, 1990s to the present from April 12 to June 8, 2025. This solo exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of Wong’s under-recognized practice, marking a homecoming for the artist who was born in Hong Kong but raised in Vancouver. The exhibition brings together a selection of works spanning sculpture, photography, video, and costume—including rarely seen or little documented pieces—and culminates in a new, performance-based work that speaks to the rise of violent anti-Asian sentiment across North America following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the work of Mary Sui Yee Wong in this long overdue retrospective of her work, which was seen on and off in Vancouver and Montreal in the 1990s and 2000s,” says curator Zoë Chan. “She often exhibited in alternative sites or on more ephemeral platforms, so it’s exciting to bring key works from her corpus together in one space. Her importance can equally be felt in her mentorship of Asian diaspora artists, her teaching of numerous students in Concordia University’s Fine Arts program, her work in Montreal’s artist-run-centre scene, and her advocacy in the local Chinese Canadian community. It is truly an honour to be able to present her work to audiences here and I hope this exhibition will generate fresh interest in Wong’s multifaceted practice.”

Wong has a deep interest in materiality and site-specificity, and engages with themes of personal memory, familial legacy, cultural history, and Orientalism. Many of the works on display have been updated or rendered site-specific for the Gallery’s space and context. Highlights include an updated series of photographs of her Yellow Apparel fashion line, featuring models such as local artists and cultural workers Emiko Marita, Henry Tsang, and Paul Wong. The brand name is a play on the once-popular brand American Apparel and the phrase “yellow peril,” the term given for the racist fear that the expansion of power and influence from Asia would be a danger to Western civilization. For Nature Morte, an installation that featured pieces of flocked furniture and other items, Wong is creating a new iteration with objects from Vancouver’s Chinatown.

In Gold Mountain, a new performance-based work, Wong will smash a maquette of a pagoda before covering the resulting mound in gold leaf. The performance explores the visual currency of systemic racism, as driven by a neoliberal economy, spotlighting the danger and destruction experienced by countless members of the Asian community. Wong aims to invoke the act of witnessing by commanding the audience’s attention, while forging something beautiful out of something ugly. The performance shifts from an act of violence to a cathartic, reparative experience.

Commuters on the Canada Line will also have the chance to see Wong’s work TREASURE II at the Lansdowne Station, co-presented by the Gallery, City of Richmond Public Art, and Capture Photography Festival. Mixing photographs of the sky with a centuries-old Chinese landscape painting, this poetic work honours two important pillars of Chinese culture: the paintings of times past and the precious elders of the present.

Mary Sui Yee Wong is a Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1963, and is the daughter of the legendary Cantonese opera master Toa Wong. Working across disciplines that include sculpture, installation, video, and performance, Wong endeavours to defy fixedness in art as an act of resistance. Her work was most recently presented at Griffin Arts Projects in 2021. She has been a board member of Oboro, Optica, and Articule. She was president of Little Pear Garden Collective, a Chinese performance group in Toronto, and is an honorary member of Yuet Sing Music Association in Montreal since 1990. She is known as an advocate and mentor within the Chinese community. Wong completed her MFA at Concordia University where she has taught for the past two decades. She was also an affiliate faculty and co-founder of the Socially Engaged Arts program at Goddard College, Vermont. 

The exhibition is part of the 2025 Capture Photography Festival Selected Exhibition Program. Richmond Art Gallery and Mary Sui Yee Wong acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. The artist also recognizes the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and Concordia University Part-time Faculty Association.

Public programming

Visit the Gallery’s website and social media for the most up-to-date information on upcoming programs and registration. Scheduled events include, among others:

Opening Reception with Special Performance 

Saturday, April 12: 2 to 4 p.m. 

Join exhibiting artist Mary Sui Yee Wong to launch her exhibition Restless by Nature, featuring a performance by the Vancouver Chinese Choir. 

Performance by Mary Sui Yee Wong and Curatorial Tour with Zoë Chan 

Tuesday, April 15: 7 to 8 p.m. 

Richmond Cultural Centre Performance Hall Mary Sui Yee Wong activates her most recent artwork with an intimate live performance followed by a tour of Wong’s exhibition Restless by Nature.

Artist Salon with Mary Sui Yee Wong 

Wednesday, May 28: 12 to 1 p.m. (online) 

Learn about the artistic journey of Montreal-based artist Mary Sui Yee Wong in this exclusive online event. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver’s Chinatown, Wong has been a vital force in Montreal’s Chinese Canadian community, mentoring artists of the Asian diaspora and shaping the city’s artist-run scene. She will share insights into her decades-long career, exploring themes of activism, mentorship, and the intersection of art and community. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear her reflections on art, motherhood, and advocacy. Organized within the framework of Mary Sui Yee Wong’s retrospective Restless by Nature currently on at the Gallery until June 8. Register at richmondartgallery.org/artist-salon-wong 

Exhibition Tour in Mandarin

Saturday, May 3: 2 to 3 p.m.

Drop in for a tour of the current Richmond Art Gallery exhibition in Mandarin. Learn more about the themes of the exhibition through a guided visit and informal discussion over a cup of tea. Limited spaces, RSVP at richmondartgallery.org/upcoming-events

國語導覽 

5月3日，星期六，下午2-3點 

歡迎參加列治文美術館當前展覽的國語導覽！通過導覽與輕鬆的對話更多地了解展覽主題。提供茶水，位 置有限，請前往以下網址預約：richmondartgallery.org/upcoming-events. 

Doors Open Richmond: Capture Festival Canada Line Walking Tour 

Saturday, June 7: 1 to 3 p.m. 

As part of Doors Open Richmond, get an insider’s view to the public art presented on the Canada Line. Capture Photography Festival artists Khim Hipol and Lauraine Mak, Gallery Curator Zoë Chan, and Richmond Public Art Planner Biliana Velkova will take visitors on a walking tour of their public artworks currently installed at Canada Line stations in Richmond. They will discuss the works on display at Capstan, Aberdeen, Lansdowne, and Brighouse stations. The afternoon will culminate at the Richmond Art Gallery for a tea break and curatorial tour of Restless by Nature, a retrospective on Mary Sui Yee Wong, whose work is also featured at Lansdowne Station. Register at richmondartgallery.org/capture-tour