Proximities 3: Import/Export
December 20, 2013–February 23, 2014
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Hours: Tuesdays–Sundays, 10am–5pm;
February–September, Thursdays 10am–9pm;
closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving
Day and Christmas Day
T +1 415 581 3500
The Asian Art Museum presents Proximities 3: Import/Export, the third and final show in an intimate trilogy of exhibitions exploring the culturally and geographically vast idea of Asia through the diverse perspectives of Bay Area artists. Guest curated by Glen Helfand, each Proximities exhibition features artworks that question whether objects and ideas can convey an accurate sense of Asia. The series’ artworks also reflect the artists’ personal proximities to Asia and Asian history. Previous exhibitions in the series examined themes of real and imagined landscapes, and family and community. In Proximities 3 artists examine the roles of trade and commerce.
On view through February 23, 2014, Proximities 3: Import/Export features projects that trace cycles of exchange, from raw materials to commodities to ideas. The exhibition includes new and recent works by Rebeca Bollinger, Amanda Curreri, Byron Peters, Jeffrey Augustine Songco, Leslie Shows and Imin Yeh relating to trade, mass production and the marketing of national identity, all aspects that generate global impressions of Asia.
The exhibition’s look at manufacturing starts with Shows’s use of yellow sulfur, one of the most important elements used as an industrial raw material, and one that is refined and utilized in ports in the Bay Area and Asia. Additionally, Yeh was inspired by a recent residency in India, where she observed the complex manufacturing process of shopping bags. In her piece, Yeh makes shopping bags by hand, pointing to the skill and labor required to craft objects that are often taken for granted or undervalued—such as the shopping bag that sells for ten cents in San Francisco. Bollinger’s handmade porcelain objects resemble trinkets her father brought back from business trips in Japan.
Not only are objects imported and exported, but so are ideas and information. Songco’s video Blissed Out touches on the idea of importing Asian religions and Asian meditation techniques. Curreri deals with covert signals of commerce. Her barber pole–inspired installation builds upon the time she spent on Yongsan Military Base in Seoul, where paired barber poles signal that sexual services are on offer. Things ultimately dematerialize with Peters’ conceptual use of outsourced labor—he commissioned an image of the sky above the workplace of a rendering firm in Shenzhen, China—a picture the firm created in exchange for fifty Facebook “likes.”
“How do we think about and ‘know’ Asia? In Proximities 1 and 2, we questioned the mythic and real landscapes of the region as well as explored the vast idea of Asia through notions of family and community,” said curator Glen Helfand. “In the last installment of the exhibition series, we look at trade, a formidable factor in Asia’s global presence.”
Proximities 2: Knowing Me, Knowing You was on view from October 11 through December 8, 2013, and featured artworks by Kota Ezawa, Mik Gaspay, Michael Jang, Pawel Kruk, Barry McGee, Anne McGuire, and Charlene Tan. The artists’ projects revealed connections, conceptions, and interpretations of Asia through themes of interpersonal relationships, relocation and dislocation.
Proximities 1: What Time Is It There? was on view May 24 through July 21, 2013, and explored mythic landscapes of Asia as seen from imagined and actual distances. The exhibition showcased works by artists Elisheva Biernoff, Lisa K. Blatt, Ala Ebtekar, James Gobel, Tucker Nichols, Larry Sultan and Andrew Witrak.
Each exhibition uses the museum website, www.asianart.org, including its blog and the museum’s social media presence, to bridge artists, viewers, and the museum. Additionally, on February 6, the museum will present an event exploring the themes of the exhibition, beginning with an in-gallery talk with the curator.
The Asian Art Museum is the only venue for this exhibition.
Exhibition organization
This exhibition was organized by the Asian Art Museum. Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible with the generous support of Graue Family Foundation, Columbia Foundation and an anonymous donor.
About the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is one of San Francisco’s premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history. Through rich art experiences, centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the Asian Art Museum unlocks the past for visitors, bringing it to life while serving as a catalyst for new art, new creativity and new thinking.
Hours: The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 5pm. From February through September, hours are extended on Thursdays until 9pm. Closed Mondays, as well as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Access: The Asian Art Museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information regarding access:
T +1 415 581 3598; TDD: T +1 415 861 2035.
Press contacts
Tim Hallman: T +1 415 581 3711 / pr [at] asianart.org
Annie Tsang: T +1 415 581 3560 / annietsang [at] asianart.org
