Siyang Dai is an anthropologist and social practice artist whose work explores the intersections of material culture, vernacular practice, and public storytelling. Trained in cultural and museum anthropology, her research uses applied ethnography to examine how everyday objects, such as DunDun, exercise agency within networks of people, things, and places.
She believes that anthropological knowledge should benefit the public rather than circulate only within academia. Bridging academic research and public practice, her work explores creative and artistic approaches to how anthropology can create impact, a term often treated with caution within traditional anthropological discourse. As an artist-scholar, she develops community engagement projects that connect academic research and public storytelling through collaborative creation rooted in local knowledge and daily experience.
Education
Columbia University
Master of Arts in Museum Anthropology
New York, NY
September 2024 – October 2025
University of Amsterdam
Bachelor of Science in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology
Amsterdam, Netherlands
September 2021 – June 2024
BeTheMuseum Fellowship
RPGA Studio
Supported by New York State Council on the Arts
2026
What Can We Do? Artist Grant
Asian American Arts Alliance
Supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
2026
All Too Human Artist Travel Grant
Connecticut College
2026
Independent Projects Grant
The Architectural League of New York and New York State Council on the Arts
2025
Runner-Up Prize, The Reed Visual Essay Category
Weatherhead East Asian Institute
2025
GSAS Conference Matching Travel Fund
Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
2025
GSAS Matching Funds for MA Final Thesis
Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
2025
Publications
ARTIFACT Journal, Issue No. 2
Vietnam Art Collection
2025
The Reed
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
2025
MCR: Modern and Contemporary Art Critical Review, Vol. VI: Trace
Columbia University
2025
Curation
Magnifying the Miniature
Hall of Asian Peoples, American Museum of Natural History
Permanent Exhibition
2025
Online Exhibition: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/magnifying-the-miniatures/
UN Decade of Ocean: Art Exhibition
Peace Boat US, Ocean Gala & Blue Reception
June 10-11, 2026
UN Decade of Ocean Gala
PeaceBoat US, New York, NY
June 10–11, 2026
Osmotic
The Blanc, New York, NY
April 18–23, 2026
On Immigration
Brooklyn Peace Center, Brooklyn, NY
April 11, 2026
All Too Human
The Ammerman Center 18th Triennial on Arts and Technology, Connecticut College, New London, CT
March 26–28, 2026
American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting
New Orleans, LA
November 20–22, 2025
Autumn Classics
Chinatown Basketball Club, New York, NY
October 12, 2025
People’s Pavilion
New York, NY
September 6–7, 2025
TRANSUMUTE!
FotoFoto, New York, NY
December 13–21, 2025
Classified Pop-up
Bungee Space x Verconiik, New York, NY
December 7–20, 2024
CCA Bookstore Pop-up
Canadian Centre for Architecture x SO–IL
October 25–27, 2024
NIFTY FIFTY
International Center of Photography, New York, NY
October 19, 2024
Autumn Classics
Chinatown Basketball Club, New York, NY, October 13, 2024
Talks
Creative Impact: Artists in Action
Asian American Arts Alliance, New York, NY
June 16, 2026
Burning Paper Money: Vibrant Necromaterials in the Ritual Practice of Contemporary China
American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
November 22, 2025
Rehoming DunDun Artist Talk
TRANSUMUTE!, FotoFoto Pop-up, Brooklyn, NY
December 14, 2025
DunDun’s Pack Book Talk
Plot, Los Angeles, CA
August 2, 2025
DunDun’s Pack Book Talk
Bungee Space, New York, NY
January 3, 2025