Belonging brings together ten artists from Auckland and Waikato in an exhibition that reflects on the multifaceted experience of New Zealand’s Asian diaspora. Curated by Benny Chan, this exhibition continues an ongoing exploration of identity, migration, and cultural integration, situating contemporary artistic voices within a history that extends back more than 160 years.
The history of Asian immigration to New Zealand is one of perseverance in the face of exclusion. The 1860s gold rush saw the arrival of Chinese miners, invited to work the Otago and West Coast goldfields but treated as outsiders, subjected to discrimination and economic barriers. This early presence was further shaped by the imposition of the Chinese Poll Tax in 1881—one of New Zealand’s most overtly racist legislative measures, designed to limit Chinese migration and reinforce a hierarchy of settlement. Despite such obstacles, generations of Asian New Zealanders have contributed to the nation’s economic, cultural, and social fabric, establishing thriving communities while negotiating complex questions of identity and belonging.
Chan states: "Belonging tells stories of our people, from the hardships of Poll Tax descendants to the evolving identities of contemporary Asian New Zealanders. This exhibition is not about relitigating historical grievances—it is a celebration of colour, diversity, and love. It is about embracing our combined culture and acknowledging our heritage. It is about community, home, and most importantly, the understanding that we belong."
The exhibition’s artists draw from personal and collective narratives, using painting, sculpture and installation to examine what it means to belong in a country where Asian identities have often been positioned as peripheral. Some works engage with ancestral memory, recontextualizing historical injustices within a contemporary framework, while others highlight the dynamic interplay of tradition and modernity in an increasingly multicultural Aotearoa.
In Belonging, history is not an abstract backdrop but a living presence, woven into the everyday realities of identity formation and cultural expression. The exhibition asserts that belonging is not simply about place—it is an active, ongoing negotiation of self, community, and shared history. By amplifying diverse voices, Belonging acknowledges the past while celebrating the resilience, contributions, and evolving identity of New Zealand’s Asian communities today.
