Examining the use of new media in works by Ruben Komangapik, Kent Monkman and the Wikiup Indigenous Knowledge Network reveals the diverse ways in which technologies are used to disrupt linear time and Western visions of history. New media works challenge those misleading stories that have been told about Canada’s indigenous peoples and assert indigenous presence in both the digital and physical landscape. These artists employ QR codes, video and augmented reality to push artistic boundaries and create representations of the past and present.

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The Royal Ontario Museum’s Africa, Americas and Asia-Pacific collection boasts over 1,400 artifacts produced over a span of two thousand years. Located on the third floor of the museum, the collection comprises a range of material from global indigenous cultures. While there are many impressive objects housed within the collection, the amalgamation of these distinct geographic zones raises problems in the exhibition and display of these cultural artifacts. The singular nature of the narrative currently presented is the subject of this exhibition critique. We argue that an updated Asia-Pacific narrative inclusive of contemporary history would better reflect the complex history of local culture and artistic practice.

Navigating Visions of the Asia and Pacific Worlds invited scholars to present interdisciplinary research that engaged with ideas of mobility, migration, and navigation. Papers examined works of art and literature that interrogate both the tangible objects and invisible ties that have connected Oceania and Asia, and these regions to Europe. Presentations also discussed the ways in which connectivity, mobility, and digital media now form a part of contemporary cultural landscapes that extend to North and South America, and beyond. While considering the wider implications of their research, each participant placed particular emphasis on a specific artist, object, or location.