05/18/2026
Spent the afternoon at Wrightwood 659 for Martin Wong: Chinatown USA — an incredible exhibition in one of Chicago’s most beautifully considered architectural spaces by Tadao Ando.
The show traces Martin Wong’s deeply personal vision of Chinatown, language, migration, q***r identity, urban life, and cultural memory through more than 100 works. Tender, strange, meticulous, funny, and heartbreaking all at once.
Particularly moving to see Wong’s relationship to Chinese identity explored with such nuance — especially for an artist who existed between cultures, histories, and cities. One of the strongest museum shows I’ve seen in Chicago in recent years.
Highly recommended if you’re in town this summer.
Wrightwood 659 exhibition info