My Bio:

Ann Shi is a multidisciplinary curator specializing in modern and contemporary Asian art, with expertise in 20th-century modern Chinese paintings. She is also an experienced collection manager, art archivist, and USPAP-compliant art appraiser, with a proven track record across both public institutions and private ventures.

In her diverse professional journey, Ann has been a mathematician and hedge fund risk analyst, blending analytical precision with her musical pursuits as an opera singer and nature enthusiast. She is highly computer literate and multilingual, fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and proficient in both traditional and simplified Chinese scripts.

In her curatorial journey, her vision focus on recontextualizing Contemporary Asia of their own times in history, with an approach navigating both indigenous and external perspectives within art history with fresh narratives around Asian identity and culture fluidity in contemporary art.

Hello! My name is Ann.

I am a curator, art archivist, and USPAP-compliant art appraiser specializing in Chinese paintings, working across New York, Los Angeles, and Houston. My curatorial practice explores the “idea of Asia” with a progressive and recontextualized lens, expanding the understanding towards “Asia art” beyond race, gender, and geography. At its core, my work embraces cultural fluidity, recognizing that wisdom, love, and knowledge are inherently dynamic and ever-evolving.

My curatorial approach is deeply interdisciplinary, integrating art history, aesthetics, logic, and cultural philosophy. Moving between indigenous and external perspectives, I seek to uncover fresh insights into artistic traditions, authorship, and representation. I also seek to dismantle colonial biases and patriarchal frameworks within art history, advocating for a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of artistic narratives. A key focus of my practice is amplifying the voices of Asian women artists who have been historically marginalized by dominant institutional discourses. Through oral histories, intersectional perspectives, and community engagement, I develop curatorial frameworks that reclaim and honor these narratives with cultural and linguistic sensitivity.

Raised in an environment steeped in the literati tradition—my father an ink painter and my mother a musician—I developed an early appreciation for ink wash aesthetics and the philosophies embedded within them. I first pursued mathematics at Oxford University and later worked as a risk manager in banking for six years before transitioning into curatorial work through a Master’s in Art Business. My dissertation, "Relative Authenticity in Chinese Painting: A Critical Examination of Literati Traditions and the Ethical Ambiguities of Copying and Forgery," interrogates the complexities of authorship and authenticity, challenging conventional interpretations of authenticity in Chinese painting.

My experiences as founder and curator of a poco art archive, curator at H Foundation for the Arts, associate curator at Rice University’s Chao Center for Asian Art, and assistant curator at the Moody Center for the Arts has shaped my interdisciplinary approach. I also serve on the advisory committee for the Houston Asian American Archive, contributing to the preservation of diasporic narratives. Straddling multiple disciplines and cultural realms, I remain committed to expanding curatorial discourse, bridging traditions, lineage, and new dialogues in contemporary art.