Luo Yang Expands Diaspora Birds to Manhattan Chinatown with Seven New York Women
In May, Luo Yang, a photographer, was invited to New York City to expand her Diaspora Birds series, which showcases seven women of Asian descent in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Previously, she had focused on young women in China in her series Girls. Recognized as an emerging talent by Ai Weiwei in 2012, she was featured in the 2013 exhibition “Fuck Off 2.” Her visibility increased in Europe, culminating in a residency in Paris in 2022, where she first experienced Chinatown. The New York version features individuals such as FiFi Zhang, Yuhee Yang, Shien Lee, Ruoyi Jiang, Natasha Jen, Jacky Lee, and Bea, presented as an Elephant exclusive titled Diaspora Birds (Manhattan Chinatown), 2026. After the shoot, Yang felt a stronger bond with NYC.
Key facts
- Luo Yang was commissioned in May while on assignment in New York City to extend her Diaspora Birds series to New Yorkers born in Asia.
- She photographed seven women in Manhattan’s Chinatown in one long day.
- Yang’s earlier series Girls documented a generation of young women across China over two decades.
- Ai Weiwei praised Yang as one of the “rising stars of Chinese photography” in 2012 and included her in “Fuck Off 2” at the Groningen Museum in 2013.
- Yang was accepted to the Cité internationale des Arts 2022 residency in Paris, where she encountered her first Chinatown.
- The New York subjects include FiFi Zhang, Yuhee Yang, Shien Lee, Ruoyi Jiang, Natasha Jen, Jacky Lee, and Bea.
- The work is presented as an Elephant exclusive and titled Diaspora Birds (Manhattan Chinatown), 2026.
- Yang recently turned 40 and is focusing on accomplished, creative women in the prime of their lives.
Entities
Artists
- Luo Yang
- Nan Goldin
- Ryan McGinley
- Ai Weiwei
- FiFi Zhang
- Yuhee Yang
- Shien Lee
- Ruoyi Jiang
- Natasha Jen
- Jacky Lee
- Bea
Institutions
- Groningen Museum
- Cité internationale des Arts
- 88rising
- HMA Awards
- Red Pavilion
- Chop Suey Club
- Pentagram
- NYU
- Elephant
Locations
- Manhattan
- Chinatown
- New York City
- United States
- China
- Paris
- France
- Netherlands
- Groningen
- Jeju Island
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Brooklyn
- Bushwick
- Beijing
- Flushing
- Queens
- Allen Street
- August Gatherings