The Chinese Canadian Museum has officially opened its anticipated major new exhibition, Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports, coinciding with the kickoff of the World Cup. The exhibition will be on view through September 5, 2027, in the Poy Family Gallery.
Exhibition Highlights
Staged within a sports bar-inspired environment, Momentum brings together artifacts and memorabilia, sports photography, contemporary art, and visual elements to trace the presence of Chinese Canadian athletes in Canada since the 1900s. The exhibition features more than 20 athletes, including three-time Olympic medal-winning figure skater Patrick Chan, four-time Grey Cup champion Norman Kwong, gold medal-winning rhythmic gymnast Lori Fung, and NBA player Zach Edey, alongside more than 25 historical objects, from an Olympic medal to a 1930s soccer trophy.
CEO Statement
“Chinese Canadians have always been part of the game, but rarely part of the story,” said Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. “Through a dynamic interplay of art and sport, Momentum reframes the field as a site where belonging and recognition are fought for and won.”
Multimedia Elements
Featuring voiceover by retired sports reporter John Lu, a specially commissioned video montage traces Chinese Canadian athletic history from community clubs to the global spotlight. A new documentary titled Yellow Card: Reclaiming Our Story in Canadian Sports will be shown on the third floor of the museum.
Contemporary Art Installations
Momentum also treats sport as conceptual terrain. These works show how the language of sport extends beyond the game, shaping broader conversations about representation, identity, and power. Highlights include:
- A participatory ping pong table installation by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija where collective play gestures toward a shared future shaped through collaboration and active engagement.
- A new commission LED moving image work by Seoul-based YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, using AI-generated imagery and rhythmic text to examine hockey as a form of secular religion in Canada and the traditions that shape it, through the figure of an Asian Canadian female player.
- Hong Kong artist Wong Ping’s Debts in the Wind, a restaging of his award-winning animation installation set on a surreal golf course, uses vivid storytelling and dark, absurd humour to examine wealth, access, and desire across intersecting narratives.
- Photographs by North Vancouver-based Malaysian artist Felicia Chang document young female field hockey players in Canada competing at a high level, capturing camaraderie, teamwork, and the pursuit of professional sport.
The exhibition promises to be a landmark event, celebrating the contributions of Chinese Canadian athletes and exploring the intersection of sports, identity, and culture.
