In May, supporters of LACMA's Asian & Asian Diaspora Initiative (LAADI) gathered in Los Angeles for the group's inaugural annual gathering. Over two days, artists, curators, collectors, and supporters came together for conversations, gallery tours, studio visits, and shared meals centered around a common goal: advancing Asian and Asian diasporic art at LACMA. LAADI was created to build a community around these artists and their stories, expanding their representation within the museum's collection, exhibitions, and programs.
Throughout the weekend, participants engaged directly with the people, ideas, and histories shaping this work today. The gathering began at LACMA with a curatorial forum highlighting five upcoming exhibitions focused on Asian and Asian diasporic art, including a landmark group exhibition of major Korean diasporic artists, the first U.S. solo exhibition of South Asian artist Bharti Kher, and a survey of Asian American modernism.
Participants also toured the David Geffen Galleries with Clarissa Esguerra, curator of Costume and Textiles, and Susie Ferrell, Wynn Resorts Associate Curator of Chinese and Korean Art, whose insights illuminated the collaborative vision behind the museum's new home for its permanent collection. LAADI supporters have contributed two commissions featured in the inaugural installation: Lu Yang's DOKU: Yama Māyā (2026), a video work on view alongside examples of historic pan-Asian Buddhist art and objects, and Stephanie Shih's photographic work 梅國 (Still life with chamoy and Dirty T Tamarindo) (2025–26), which incorporate blue-and-white ceramics from LACMA’s permanent collection illustrating the exchange of art and ideas between East to West.
