Suva to Sydney

Suva to Sydney explores the Yee clan’s immigration story to Australia. From humble beginnings in rural Guangzhou, China, to entrepreneurial migrants in Suva, Fiji, and finally to settled citizens in Sydney, the exhibition is deeply personal, yet also representative of an archetypal passage to a better life in Australia.

Told through a series of artistic vignettes of the mundane and momentous, Suva to Sydney provides viewers with a portrait of a hard-won intergenerational voyage across the seas, while also acting as a conduit to broader discourses of global migration, Australian identity, and everyday family life. Works include oil paintings, acrylic paintings, works on paper and installations.

The show aims to engage directly with the Asian Australian community, but also to open the experiences of first, second and third generation Chinese Australians to interpretations by non-Asian audiences. The desired outcome is a compelling narrative journey that holds a mirror up to contemporary Australian society while stoking self-reflection and asking audiences the question 'what is your family story?'

Image: Tym Yee, My Father’s Father’s Memoir, 2024, oil on board