Retrospective honours Concordia Fine Arts prof Mary Sui Yee Wong
A new exhibition at British Columbia’s Richmond Art Gallery surveys the work of Montreal-based artist Mary Sui Yee Wong, BFA 91, MFA 03, spanning from the 1990s to today. Restless by Nature: Mary Sui Yee Wong, 1990s to the present features decades of her multidisciplinary practice, including new pieces created specifically for the show.
Wong is an MFA graduate of Concordia’s Sculpture program and a longtime professor of Studio Arts, specializing in Fibres and Sculpture. She has been teaching in the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts for over 20 years.
Her work in fibres and mixed media involves performance, sculpture, installation, video, technology, text and sound. Themes for this exhibition include “personal memory, cultural history, familial legacy, Orientalism, and anti-Asian sentiment within Canada” (Richmond Art Gallery).
“It was invigorating to discover the work I had produced over several decades remained relevant in the present day,” she says. “I learned that my material research and formal investigations resonated with a wide range of audiences, publics, colleagues, contemporaries, and emerging artists.”
Yellow Apparel models at the exhibition. | All photos by Luciana Photography 2025
More than an artist
Beyond her studio practice, the show also offers a rare acknowledgement of the contributions of an experienced artist who is also a mother, educator, activist, and community organizer — roles that Wong says are often overlooked in contemporary art discourse.
“This exhibition is a rare opportunity to connect with a unique demographic, to garner critical feedback and be in conversation with Richmond’s Chinese diaspora about the complexity of their lived experience.”
Wong’s relationship with Concordia began as an undergraduate student in 1988. She later returned to complete her MFA in 2000. She credits the Fine Arts faculty’s tireless culture of “critical thinkers and makers,” along with a transformative student-exchange experience, as instrumental in shaping her path.
“Course content was supplemented with field trips to museums, galleries and a month-long student exchange at the Offenbach University of Art and Design in Germany. That experience ensured I had the confidence to step into the world to address identity formation as an artist of colour.”
Nature Morte by Mary Sui Yee Wong.
‘Art is (re)evolution and essential to well-being’
Through her art and teaching, Wong has been an active supporter of Montreal’s Chinese Canadian community. She says she hopes Restless by Nature will encourage emerging artists to be bold in their creative practices.
“I hope my work will inspire emerging artists, particularly those from diasporic communities, to take risks, speak out and make their voices heard,” she says. “It is necessary to be courageous no matter the social, cultural or political climate. We must use art not only as aesthetic expression but as acts of resistance.”
“Art is (re)evolution and essential to the well-being of all. We need artists to tell their stories, incite critique, and excite reflection. There has never been a better time than now for art as activism.”
Restless by Nature: Mary Sui Yee Wong, 1990s to the present is on view at the Richmond Art Gallery until June 8, 2025.
Find out more about Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
