Whose Chinatown

A retrospective catalogue of Griffin’s 2021 exhibition Whose Chinatown?: Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives, and Collections, this book continues this vital new research through a collection of essays and extended discussions of specific works. The Whose Chinatown? exhibition was a comprehensive examination of Chinatowns from Western to Central to Eastern Canada, revealing an art historical and political account of Chinatown neighbourhoods while also looking unflinchingly at anti-Asian sentiments, which have grown more globally widespread during the pandemic.

The Whose Chinatown? Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives, and Collections exhibition brought together an art history of Chinatowns and their communities by historical and contemporary Canadian artists. This exhibition drew from private collections in Vancouver and across Canada, and aimed to question how narratives are constructed around the idea of Chinatown, and the colonial notions that underwrite many of these relations.