ArtAsiaPacific Almanac 2013 Volume VIII
Out now
ArtAsiaPacific has completed another era: its second decade. In 1993, the art world in the Asia region seemed full of possibilities, or bleak with a lack of them—depending on your perspective. Today, the region is enjoying a cultural renaissance and is the most happening place to be. New museums and galleries continue to be launched or construction is underway, art schools are expanding with more aspiring artists, while alternative art spaces push boundaries of experimentation across Asia and the Middle East. All of this leads to more opportunities for artists, curators and proponents of civil societies that respect creativity and freedom of expression. At the same time, other institutions have extended their censorship with increased budgets for surveillance. All of these indicators—some positive, others regressive—are carefully traced in the Almanac.
In each edition of the Almanac, now in its eighth year, we provide annual reports about the 67 countries in the region and track a year’s worth of controversy, scandal, career moves, awards and other major headline news. We also invite influential art-world figures to reflect on the major cultural events of the past year and the year to come. Lars Nittve, executive director of the M+ museum at West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, still in its planning stages, and Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, each point to reasons for hope in a year blighted by cultural intolerance (in Hong Kong) and government budget cuts (in Canberra). From their unique perspectives, Saudi Arabian physician-turned-artist Ahmed Mater and Burmese performance artist Moe Satt discuss art’s role in society. Dhaka-based collectors Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani, who recently debuted their art fair, Dhaka Art Summit, point to the pockets of creativity forming in Bangladesh, and the influence of neighboring giants India and China when thinking about arts infrastructure in their country. From Georgia, artist Wato Tsereteli, co-curator of the first Tbilisi Triennial, explains the need for regenerating outdated educational platforms for art in the post-Soviet nation.
The Five Plus One section, in which our editors select five artists who have made a significant impact in 2012 and one who promises to do so in 2013, features profiles of artists as varied in outlook as Gordon Bennett, Amar Kanwar, Daido Moriyama, Akram Zaatari, Danh Vo and Tala Madani. The editors also pick the ten best gallery and museum shows of the year, the exhibitions on our radar in 2013, and twelve of our favorite books.
Select articles now online in Arabic and Chinese: artasiapacific.com
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