Wonder Women

Genny Lim's poem "Wonder Woman," first published in 1981, follows a narrator who observes the everyday lives of Asian women-across generations, countries, and socioeconomic backgrounds-wondering if their experiences reflect her own. The poem centers Asian women as its protagonists and asks what commonalities exist between these women. Often underrepresented in museum collections and important exhibitions, Asian American women and non-binary artists are now receiving recognition: This book expands on two landmark shows, curated by Kathy Huang, at Jeffrey Deitch in New York in May 2022 and Los Angeles in September 2022, organized in response to increasing anti-Asian racism and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The forty featured artists, each represented with five paintings and a personal statement, subvert stereotypes and assert their identities in places where they have historically been marginalized. While some featured artists explore identity through self-portraiture, others depict the heroines in their lives, offering works that highlight family, community, and history. Several of the works address colonial and patriarchal structures in the West, legends, and myths. With newly-commissioned essays and paintings created within the last four years, this book is a current, open-ended collection of contemporary Asian American experiences.