Ancestral Visions

Ancestral Visions: An Installation by Chelsea Ryoko Wong

On view Viernes, Febrero 7, 2025—Domingo, Febrero 1, 2026 | Gallery of California Art

Fashion, family histories, and personal identity intersect in a new installation at OMCA by Bay Area artist Chelsea Ryoko Wong. Wong’s energetic and colorful paintings, drawn from both real-life events and her imagination, depict  busy, rhythmic scenes of people going about their daily lives. For this project, Wong’s paintings take inspiration from dresses owned by seven 20^th century Chinese American women, whose clothing and legacies live on in OMCA’s collection. Ancestral Visions features paintings along with a selection of the fashions that inspired them. Visitors to the installation are invited into the world of the dresses and the women who wore them to ponder history, the value of what we wear to future generations, and the role of clothing as an expression of identity. Dresses that belonged to Rose Setzo, Sophia Chang Wong, Grace Dea, Lei Kim Lim, Chop Chin Chum, and Sun Fung Lee Wong caught Wong’s eye and are re-envisioned in the abstract narratives of her vibrant work. 

This installation is included with regular Museum admission.

This installation is made possible by the Harker Fund Artist Residency Program.

*Header image: Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco. Photo: Cory Evans.