Making its Canadian premiere at the Chinese Canadian Museum, Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is the most comprehensive exhibition ever assembled on the rich history and global influence of Asian comics.

Organized by Barbican Centre and curated by renowned comics historian, journalist, and writer Paul Gravett, the exhibition features more than 400 original artworks, rare publications, and multimedia installations from across Asia. From early graphic traditions to contemporary digital innovations, the exhibition reveals how comics have chronicled history, reimagined mythology, challenged censorship, inspired popular culture, and transformed the global language of visual storytelling.

Presented exclusively at the Chinese Canadian Museum, the Vancouver presentation includes a new exhibition section curated by Olivia Chow, Director of Curatorial Programs. Expanding the internationally touring exhibition, it spotlights the work of Chinese Canadian artists and authors whose stories invite visitors to consider the many ways diaspora shapes identity, memory, family, and belonging. Journeying from reclaimed histories and personal narratives to coming-of-age stories and explorations of inheritance, resistance, and self-discovery, these works demonstrate how comics preserve memory, challenge inherited narratives, and create space for identity, belonging, and self-expression across generations.

Together, the exhibition reveals the extraordinary power of comics to connect histories, cultures, and communities across Asia and its diasporas.