About Artasiam

Artasiam is an online art gallery whose mission is to promote artists from Asian communities and to facilitate the sale and purchase of their works, in order to give them more visibility on the national and international artistic scene. We wish to honor the different facets of Asian cultures and offer artists the opportunity to express themselves and proudly assert their identity, whatever it may be, through their artistic practice.


The Meaning of our Name

Art has entwined into our lives in divergent ways, but one thing is certain, we both found a multitude of meanings in it: emotions, stories, cultures, etc. Essentially, art awakens somethings both universal and personal in each of us.

Our interest for Asian cultures, much like our interest in art, manifested itself at different times in our lives: while Amandine had already actively started to learn more about Asian art and cultures in France; Mariana was moving from Mexico to Canada, interacting for the first time with Asian communities in her new city. However, when we finally met here in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke, we had both already decided that making Asian art shine in our host country would be our vocation.

As the founders of such a project emphasizing ethnicity, we discussed, reflected on, and questioned the validity of our project. Simply put, we are passionate about Asian art... But we are aware that there are several important issues that relate to our passion. Questions that are in one way or another at the heart of our project and linked to our personal experiences.

What we are trying to accomplish is create a much-needed space dedicated to Canadian artists of Asian descent to address the lack of cultural representation in the Canadian art scene. We firmly believe that our focus on ethnicity is a way of celebrating the plurality of identities and modes of expression that share common cultural origins. Essentially, we wish to challenge preconceptions about what Asian art is and can be.

Our project therefore begins in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke, but extends to the rest of Canada and hopes to cross its borders.

The Team Behind Artasiam

Amandine | Artistic Director

For over ten years, I have specialized in Asian art. This passion has always followed me in my studies, from my bachelor’s degree in Cultural Mediation and Art Market (ICART Paris) to my Ph.D. in Art History (Université de Montréal). I am now a lecturer at the Center for Asian Studies (CÉTASE, UdeM), curator and artistic coordinator for the e-zine Sticky Rice. Artasiam is the realization of all those wonderful years I spent being as close as possible to artists from Asian communities, listening to their needs and concerns.

Mariana | Marketing and Logistic Director

I am a bachelor's student in Asian studies (CÉTASE) at the University of Montreal. I pursued a double major in Art History and Film Studies at Concordia University and a DEC in Photography. My background as an immigrant and my belonging to a visual minority in Canada has deeply contributed to my passion for the visual arts as a means of self-expression and to address topics on otherness and Asian cultures. As my academic journey continues, Artasiam embodies my commitment to the Asian Canadian artistic community and my desire to make it shine.