Immigrant artists have long been on the margins of mainstream art history, yet their contributions are essential in shaping a diverse, postcolonial global society. Among them, Overseas Chinese artists play a crucial role in cultural exchange and artistic dialogue.

Since its founding in 1997, He Xiangning Art Museum has been dedicated to the study and exhibition of Overseas Chinese art, organizing numerous landmark exhibitions featuring over 120 artists from 20+ countries. Its Overseas Chinese Artists Exhibition series remains the only systematic project of its kind, advancing global research in this field.

This retrospective presents a group of work from the museum’s collection, structured around three themes—Identity and Identification, Cultural Hybridity, and The Third Space. Through these themes, it reexamines the living conditions of overseas Chinese artists and their responses to issues such as cultural roots and identity. Additionally, the exhibition presents historical documents, tracing the curatorial frameworks and academic discourses of previous exhibitions. While reviewing the exhibition series, it also seeks to compare the diverse artistic practices of Overseas Chinese artists across different historical periods, regional contexts, and thematic frameworks, while recognizing their significant contributions.

As the “Overseas Chinese Artists Exhibition” series is presented in Ningbo for the first time—a city deeply rooted in overseas Chinese culture—the exhibition not only expands its space of dialogue on a geographical level, but also reconnects the cultural memories of Chinese diasporic communities stretching from the South China Sea coast to the river-port landscapes of Jiangnan. In this context, Overseas Chinese art becomes an important link that connects the history, culture, and emotional experiences of overseas Chinese communities.