The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) has announced the initial artist list and curatorial framework for the 9th Asian Art Biennial opening in November.
Curators Fang Yen Hsiang, Anne Davidian, Merv Espina, Haeju Kim and Asli Seven have announced the title and subsequent theme as How to Hold Your Breath, derived from the expression meant to temper expectations in the face of hope. The theme is an invitation to practice mindfulness, as holding one’s breath allows space for renewed energy and a realignment with nature and focus on the present moment. The curatorial team also draw on the term kumbhaka, a Sanskrit term for a breath-holding technique in yoga which is considered one of the oldest methods to alter mental states.
In response to this theme, the biennial will unveil 13 new artworks and five artist projects that will provide insight into fresh perspective and prompt a deeper understanding of the cultural, economic, political and natural challenges faced by the Asia-Pacific region.
The five artist projects will feature Nathalie Muchamad’s multimedia installation Production Notes: Breadfruit, Mutiny, Planetarity highlights the history of global trade and European colonisation through the mutiny on the HMS Bounty in the 18th century. Tao Leigh Goffe’s Black Pacific, Chinese Atlantic explores the artist’s Black British and Jamaican Chinese heritage through a new two-channel video featuring archival and found footage. Wang Yu-Song’s Microbial Studies shares new perspectives between humans and nature, the visible and invisible through soil microorganisms. Saodat Ismailove’s film Arslanbob looks at the unique walnut forests of Kyrgyzstan, while Sharon Chin’s participatory work, Portal, focuses on mangrove trees and what it means to be attached to a location and witnessing its decline.
The artists come from over 20 countries across East, Central and West Asia, the Pacific region, Eurasian nations and artists with Asian ancestry living in other locations worldwide. Several artists from the wider Middle East region will showcase their work, including Noor Abed, Khyam Allami, Marwa Arsanios, Emre Hüner and Nil Yalter.
The full artist list is below:
Noor Abed
Asian Feminist Studio for Art and Research（AFSAR）
Khyam Allami
Marwa Arsanios
Andrius Arutiunian
Sharon Chin
Chu Hao Pei
Fang Wei-Wen
Tao Leigh Goffe
Mashinka Firunts Hakopian
Emre Hüner
Saodat Ismailova
Maiko Jinushi
Cetus Kuo Chin-Yun
Woosung Lee
Milay Mavaliw
Nathalie Muchamad
Hwayeon Nam
Pak Sheung Chuen
Nefeli Papadimouli
Natalia Papaeva
Ri
Kirill Savchenkov
Yehwan Song
Trương Quế Chi & Nguyễn Phương Linh
Wang Yu-Song
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Jasmin Werner
Nil Yalter
Yoshinori Niwa
Gary Zhexi Zhang
2024 Asian Art Biennial will run from 16 November 2024 until 2 March 2025
