Since its inception, Asia NOW has showcased a selection of international galleries in the Asian art market, pursuing its annual mission to explore the region defined by Asia Society, which stretches from Japan to Iran, from China to Australia, across Central Asia to the Asia Pacific.
A dedicated art fair, Asia NOW focuses on those “peripheral” areas identified as influential hub of traditional culture and contemporary arts. Asia NOW aims to feature emerging and established contemporary practices from Asia’s art scenes, and continues to showcase the richness and variety of artistic creation in these territories and their diasporas.
Guest Curators
Asia NOW is honoured to welcome the world-renowned art collective Slavs and Tatars as the Guest Curator. Their exhibition is dedicated to the unique savoir-faire of textiles in Central Asian contemporary art. It is inspired by the poetic phrase “Nouer des Nuages” (“to knot clouds”in English), from the Persian term “abr-bandi”, which refers to the weaving of ikats, a vernacular textile.
The exhibition will take the form of a journey marked by various experiments, set within the iconic Monnaie de Paris, the oldest minting institution in operation as of today. Slavs and Tatars is an international art collective devoted to an area situated East of the former Berlin Wall and West of the Great Wall of China known as Eurasia.
Since it was founded in 2006, the collective has demonstrated its agility in addressing the societal issues, opening up new avenues for contemporary discourse through an indiosyncratic form of knowledge production that includes popular culture, spiritual and esoteric traditions, oral traditions, modern myths and academic research.
Their works have been exhibited around the world, including at the Vienna Secession, MoMA in New York, Salt in Istanbul, and the Albertinum in Dresden, among others. Their practice is based on three main pillars: exhibitions, publications, and lecture-performances. The collective has published over twelve books, including the most recent Look Book released by Distanz Verlag. Its territorial focus and the breadth of its practice make the collective a relevant choice for Asia NOW, which seeks to explore the diversity of Asia.
In the exhibition specifically designed for Asia NOW at Monnaie de Paris, the Cour d’Honneur will feature a Slavs and Tatars Chaikhaneh (tea salon), housed within a traditional kazakh yurt. At this occasion, Slavs and Tatars will also create a Reading Room as a site for gatherings and discussions.
The centrepiece of the project, an exhibition of 14 contemporary artists curated by Slavs and Tatars, will explore the role of textiles in the region’s cultural practices. The weaving of ikats, an example of a vernacular textile, is often referred to using the Persian word “abr-bandi”, which means “to knot clouds”. In the 21st century, at the heart of the information age, this knotting of clouds suggests another horizon: that of data and digitisation, as much as that of dyes and fabrics.
The exhibiting artists are:
Askhat Akhmedyarov
Said Atabekov
Alibay Bapanov
Nazzy Beglari
Medina Bazarğali
Saule Dyussenbina
Madina Joldybek
Dilyara Kaipova
Kubra Khademi
Almagul Menlibayeva
Gulnur Mukazhanova
Nazilya Nagimova
Aziza Shadenova
Guzel Zakir
The Slavs and Tatars exhibition is supported by Sisley, Principal Partner of the guest curator programme. With the support of the Goethe Institut Paris and Yourta.
Content-Based Art Fair
Asia NOW continues to demonstrate its awareness of and contribution to the issues facing the world.
Its programme, which is redefined each year, features high-anticipated artistic proposals aimed at professionals and discerning collectors. This year again, Asia NOW will be focusing on the dimension of sharing, transmission and welcoming an amateur audience, set on the majestic heritage site of Monnaie de Paris. Asia NOW will be hosting a conversation platform designed and moderated by Thanks for Nothing for the third year, as well as a program of performances.
A number of special projects will enhance the visitors experience through Monnaie de Paris. What they have in common is an aspiration to live together and the promotion of collective and collaborative practices. Diasporas “I sow” Asia NOW 2023 will pay particular attention to Asian diasporas, understood in the broadest sense. The migratory flows generated by wars, civil conflicts and environmental disasters have resulted in forced departures and a feeling of exile, expressed by the term “uprooting”.
Diasporic communities that form in new countries are often minorities in their host culture, which can lead to discrimination, violence and trauma. Yet the diasporic experience is defined not by this sense of loss but rather by processes of adaptation, remembering and rebuilding a sense of belonging. The generations that follow put down new roots in these new contexts, adopting so-called “hybrid” identities, influenced as much by the experience as by the traditions and customs of the cultures of origin.
Artists from these diasporas combine motifs and skills that have also migrated between different civilisations over time. These practices draw on their cultures of origin, which are seen as dynamic, hybridised through encounters and constantly evolving throughout history.
With “diaspora”, a word derived from the Greek spiro, “I sow”, the idea of human dispersion evokes the links that exist between established communities and those that are recreated. Sowing, harvesting and feeding are at the heart of the ecological challenges facing our contemporary societies.
Textiles
Contemporary artistic practices have been enriched by what are known as traditional or situated know-how, merging them with issues stemming from modernity. Furthermore, the dualism and hierarchy between art and craftsmanship does not exist in most of Asian cultures. Alongside all the know-how associated with living materials, Asia NOW 2023 has chosen to highlight textiles in their diverse artistic forms, as what was the case with ceramics in 2022. Through textiles, we will explore lines and threads, warp and weft, sewing, weaving, and embroidery as practiced by artists. More broadly, the relationship between ornamentation and art will naturally find its place among the presented artworks.
Textiles as a contemporary practice will also be at the heart of the central exhibition, featuring exhibiting galleries including Modesti Perdriolle, The Columns, Galerie Michael Jansen and others, as well as special projects like a performative installation by the Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige from Gandy Gallery (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Eva Yi Zhang‘s installation presented by Tabula Rasa Gallery (London/ Beijing).
Participants 2023
313 Art Project (Seoul/ Paris) / A2Z Art GALLERY (Paris) / Ab-Anbar Gallery (Teheran/ London) / Anna Laudel (Istanbul/ Düsseldorf/ Bodrum) / Anne-Laure Buffard (Paris) / Art on Istanbul (İstanbul) / Aspan Art Gallery (Almaty, Kazakhstan) / Ayyam Gallery (Dubai) / BackSlash Gallery (Paris) / By Lara Sedbon (Paris) / Cadet Capela (Paris) / Cuturi Gallery (Singapore) / EACH MODERN (Taipei) / Etemad Gallery (Teheran) / Fragment (New York) / Frestonian Gallery (London) / Galerie Eric Mouchet (Paris) / Galerie Françoise Livinec (Paris) / Galerie Louis & Sack (Paris) / Galerie Michael Janssen (Berlin) / Galerie Peter Kilchmann (Zurich/ Paris) / Galerie Taménaga (Paris/ Tokyo/ Osaka/ Kyoto) / Gallery COMMON (Tokyo) / Gallery Isabelle Van den Eynde (Dubai) / Gallery Kabinett (Seoul) / Gana Art (Seoul) / Gene Gallery (Shanghai) / Harper’s Gallery (New York) / HdM Gallery (Beijing / London) / Intersections Gallery (Singapore) / Iram Art (Gujarat, India) / König Galerie (Berlin / Seoul) / KORNFELD GALERIE (Berlin) / Lee-Bauwens Gallery (Brussels) / L.L. Contemporary (Richmond Hill, Canada) / M77 (Milan) / Madeln Gallery (Shanghai) / Maki Gallery (Tokyo) / Modesti Perdriolle Gallery (Brussels) / Nika Project Space (Dubai) / Ora-Ora (Hong Kong) / Over the Influence (Hong Kong/ Los Angeles/ Bangkok/ Paris) / Paris-B (Paris) / PBG (Seoul) / PERROTIN (Paris/ Dubai/ New York/ Hong Kong/ Seoul / Tokyo / Shanghai) / Pygmalion Art Gallery (Astana, Kazakhstan) / Roya Khadjavi Projects (New York) / SAC Gallery (Bangkok) / Sato Gallery (Paris / Tokyo) / Tabari Artspace (Dubai / London) / The Columns Gallery (Seoul / Singapore) / The Third Line (Dubai) / Yeo Workshop (Singapore)
NOW ON
Galerie BAQ (Paris) / Inna Art Space (Hangzhou/ New York) / Lechbinska Gallery (Zurich) / THE SHOPHOUSE (Hong Kong)
Special Projects
Galleria Continua (San Gimignano/ Beijing/ Les Moulins/ Havana/ Roma/ São Paulo/ Paris/ Dubai) / Galerie Enrico Navarra (Paris) / Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (Dubaï) / Gandy Gallery (Bratislava, Slovakia) / Gene Gallery (Shanghai)/ HATCH (Paris) / Ora-Ora (Hong-Kong) / Nika Project Space (Dubaï) / Nova Contemporary (Bangkok) / ROH Projects (Jakarta) / Tabula Rasa Gallery (Beijing/ London)
GALLERIES
For the second year of Asia NOW at the Monnaie de Paris, Asia NOW has chosen to allocate larger spaces to a select number of galleries. In line with the latest trend, American galleries from New York and Los Angeles, as well as some of the most prominent West Asian galleries, including Dubai, will be participating. 2023 also marks the return of Chinese galleries after several years of absence due to the pandemic.
This year, 65 galleries will gather at the Monnaie de Paris to present a selection of emerging and internationally renowned artists.
CENTRAL ASIA
Curatorial platform / Kazakhstan galleries present
More than twenty Central Asian artists showcased at the fair
A presence is established through an exhibition of contemporary Central Asian artists curated by Slavs and Tatars et under the poetic inspiration of “to tie to clouds”, derived from the Persian term “abr-bandi”, which refers to the weaving ikats, an example of vernacular textile. This exhibition will feature 14 artists, including 11 women.
The Kazakhstan-based ASPAN gallery, considered the most important gallery in Central Asia and a champion of this art scene since 2015, will present a group show of artists from the region (some are also showcased by Slavs and Tatars), including Saodat Ismailova and Gulnur Mukazhanova. Meanwhile, Pygmalion Art Gallery (Astana, Kazakhstan) is participating in special projects with the installation of a small yurt by artist Kokonja in the Cours Mansart at the Monnaie de Paris.
Nika Project Space, a gallery based in Dubai, is presenting two artists, including Alexander Ugay, an internationally recognized artist whose works are part of collections at the Centre Pompidou. He is also one of the most active figures in the emerging Kazakh art scene, as a photographer, video artist and creator of “cinematographic objects” within the experimental collective Bronepoez (literally translating to “armed train”), of which he is one of the founders alongside Roman Maskalev.
Galerie Michael Janssen (Berlin) presents a duo show featuring Gulnur Mukazhanova (Kazakhstan), who is also part of the exhibition curated by Slavs and Tatars, together with the Chinese artist Yafeng Duan. Galerie Eric Mouchet (Paris) presents a duo show by two Afghan artists, Kubra Khademi and Sher Ali.
The Third Line (Dubai), the gallery representing Slavs and Tatars in Dubai, will exhibit the collective’s work at this year’s show.
THE GRAND RETURN OF JAPAN AND KOREA
With the presence at this year’s Asia NOW, the two cutting-edge galleries based in Tokyo, Maki Gallery and COMMON, will be feature a cross-presentation of two Japanese artists, Anne Kagioka Rigoulet and Keisuke Tada. Galerie Perrotin will put on a solo show by the young Japanese artist Ob, with the exhibition curated by Takashi Murakami.
Galerie Peter Kilchmann presents a duo show by Leiko Ikemura and Shirana Shabbazi. Japanese artist Lei Saito, presented by 91530 Le Marais, will inaugurate “Cooking is Caring”, a new program conceived by Asia NOW, with her installation “Chanvre et Eau” (see Special Projects).
The Korean scene will also be one of the highlights in this edition, with the participation of six Seoul-based galleries and the exhibition of a cutting-edge selection of Korean artists by international galleries, some of which are based in the capital of Korea. Among the participants, The Columns (Seoul) will present a group show of three Korean artists, Kim Kang Yong, Jung Jong Mee and Lee Hyun Joung; 313 Project (Seoul) will showcase a group show; Harper’s Gallery in New York will present a duo show of two Korean artists, Young-Il Ahn and Wendy Park (Korean-American); French gallery Anne Laure Buffard will feature two Korean artists, Park Chae Biole and Park Chae Biole, together with the French-Vietnamese artist NHU XUAN HUA; and the young New York gallery Fragments will present a solo show by Young-jun Tak.
NEWCOMERS & RETURNING MAJOR GALLERIES
Almost half of this year’s galleries are participating in Asia NOW for the very first time. We are delighted to welcome new participants such as Galerie Peter Kilchmann from Zurich with a duo show by Leiko Ikemura and Shirana Shahbazi, Fragment from New York with Korean artist Young-Jun TAK, Galerie Eric Mouchet with a solo show by Kubra Khademi, Harper’s Gallery in New York, The Third Line in Dubai with Slav and Tatar artists, Tabari Artspace in Dubai, Isabelle van den Eynde in Dubai, Gene Gallery in Shanghai, and Inna Art Space in Hangzhou.
List of galleries participating for the first time
BY LARA SEDBON – Paris
MAKI Gallery -Tokyo
Iram Art – Gujarat
SAC Gallery – Bangkok
Fragment Gallery – New York
Ayyam Gallery – Dubai
Tabari Artspace – Dubai / London
BackSlash Gallery – Paris
Gana Art – Seoul
NIKA Project Space – Dubai
Art On Istanbul – Istanbul
Anna Laudel – Istanbul
Galerie Eric Mouchet – Paris
Harper’s Gallery – New York
Contemporary Richmond Hill – Richmond Hill, Canada
Gene Gallery – Shanghai
Galerie Peter Kilchmann – Zurich / Paris
KORNFELD – Berlin
EACH MODERN – Taipei
Gallery COMMON – Tokyo
Cadet Capela – Paris
The Third Line – Dubai
Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde – Dubai
SECTION NOW ON
THE SHOPHOUSE – Hong Kong / Galerie Baq – Paris / Inna Art Space – Hangzhou / New York / Frestonian Gallery – London / Lechbinska Gallery – Zürich
After an absence of several years due to the pandemic, we are delighted to welcome back MadeIn Gallery – one of Shanghai’s finest galleries – with a group show including XU ZHEN®, one of the leading artists on the Chinese scene. Taipei-based EACH MODERN and Over the Influence will also be returning to Paris.
A STRONG PRESENCE OF DUBAI GALLERIES
A fine selection of Dubai galleries will be present this year, including the three best-established ones in the city of the United Arab Emirates. Isabelle Van den Eynde, a pioneering gallery in Dubai with limited recognition in the Parisian scene, is making a strong presence Paris. Tabari Artspace will feature a Solo show by Maitha Abdallah (Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Biennale de Lyon) and will create a specific project for Asia NOW. The Third Line, a gallery representing Slavs and Tatars in Dubai, will exhibit the collective’s work at this year’s event. Nika Project Space will also be exhibiting at the fair.
VISIBILITY FROM SOUTH-EAST ASIA & THAILAND
New project by Thai artist Yuree Kensaku (See Special Projects)
A selection of Southeast Asian galleries: Nova Contemporary (Bangkok), SAC Gallery (Bangkok), Cuturi Gallery (Singapore), Over the Influence (Hong Kong / Los Angeles / Bangkok / Paris), Yeo Workshop (Singapore), Intersections Gallery (Singapore)
THE NOW ON SECTION
Also new to this edition is a new section entitled NOW ON, in partnership with Nowness, presenting recently opened galleries focusing on emerging artists, such as Galerie BAQ (Paris), Inna Art Space (Hangzhou / New York), THE SHOPHOUSE (Hong Kong) and Lechbinska (Zurich)
Other news
Galleries will exhibit video projects, including ROH Projects with Tromarama; and Nova Contemporary, which will be presenting a video installation and performance by Moe Satt.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
This year, Asia NOW will present a program of special projects, arranged along the visitor’s itinerary.
CHEN ZHEN / Galleria Continua
Galleria Continua (San Gimignano/ Beijing/ Les Moulins/ Habana/ Roma/ São Paulo/ Paris/ Dubai) will display the historic installation “Perseverance of Regeneration” by Chen Zhen, echoing Double Exil his first monographic exhibition in Paris.
YUREE KENSAKU / Galerie Enrico Navarra
Special project with artist Yuree Kensaku presented by Galerie Enrico Navarra.
The Thai artist will present a diptych of paintings, an in situ project created specifically for the Monnaie de Paris during her residency in May 2023 at Le Muy. A film directed by the artist will also be shown.
A special presentation of the book “Made by Thai”, edited and published by Galerie Enrico Navarra and directed by Francine Meoule, will highlight the contemporary Thai scene, artists, cultural venues, and institutions.
DENETH PIUMAKSHI VEDA ARACHCHIGE / Gandy Gallery
At the heart of her creative output lies a compelling series of textiles and a live performance titled Your Faith is in Your Hand. This immersive experience intricately weaves together elements of the body, identity, memories, poetry, and resistance, all of which have profoundly inspired her artistic journey. In Your Faith is in Your Hand, she embroiders a heart on a volunteer’s palm, infusing a profound and personal connection into her work. Depending on the project, she may select a specific volunteer or engage with a member of the public. The embroidery process is a deliberate and meaningful exchange, involving discussions with the participant, a process that typically takes forty to fifty minutes to complete. To make her work accessible to a wider audience, the live embroidery process can be projected onto a wall, enabling people to engage with it from a distance while still appreciating its intricate details.
EVA YI ZHANG / Tabula Rasa Gallery
Tabula Rasa Gallery (London/ Beijing), will present the artist Eva Yi Zhang who works primarily with fabrics, capturing and shaping the everyday conditions and images of women in contemporary life.
THE TROMARAMA COLLECTIVE / ROH Project (Jakarta)
Asia NOW is delighted to welcome the internationally renowned Indonesian video artist collective, which will be presenting an artwork in collaboration with ROH Project in France for the very first time.
At the beginning of October, M+, the world’s first museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia, located in Hong Kong, will present “Growing Pillar,” a new commission of moving images by Tromarama. The artwork will be displayed on the facade of the Museum from Friday, October 6th, to Sunday, December 31st, 2023.
DUYI HAN / Hatch (Paris)
Duyi Han is a Chinese artist, designer, and artistic director specializing in aesthetic research and avant-garde design. He creates environments and objects as perceptual experiences.
For Asia NOW, the artist has envisioned a floating textile installation: “Our Superior Algorithm.” It will consist of three suspended textile pieces. Inspired by the hanging banners in Chinese temples, commercial advertisements, and modern financial elites, “Our Superior Algorithm” plays an ambiguous role between a marketing message and a mantra.
The idea is to rethink objects found in temples, such as the floating tapestries in Buddhist temples, and connect them to a certain financial elite. The textiles are made from costume scraps and will be accompanied by mantras, the artist’s marketing messages, such as “financial decision.” The artist also plans to include logos related to the industry.
MOE SATT / Nova Contemporary (Bangkok)
Nova Contemporary Gallery will showcase the video work and art of Moe Satt, a conceptual artist and curator. In 2008, he founded and organized “Beyond Pressure,” an international performance art festival in Myanmar (Burma). Through his works, which span various mediums including photography, sculpture, video, and sound installations, Moe Satt addresses provocative social and political issues in military-led Myanmar, such as the role of religion and the individual in society.
He has been invited to participate in various artist residency programs, including ACC in New York (2017), IASPIS in Umeå, Sweden (2016), and the international residency at Recollets in Paris (2015). His work has been featured in several group exhibitions, including “Political Acts: Pioneers of Performance Art in Southeast Asia” in Melbourne (2017), the CAFAM Biennale in Beijing (2013), and the Busan Biennale (2012). Satt was a finalist for the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award in 2015.
He resides and works in Yangon, Myanmar.
RAISA KABIR, RAJYASHRI GOODY, AIKO TEZUKA / Durjoy
Bangladesh Foundation
This annual art residency project know as “Majhi residency” commenced in Venice in 2019, followed by Berlin in 2020, Eindhoven in 2021 and
Kochi in 2022 under the theme “Bhumi”.
In 2023, the residency will be held in Paris from the first week of October with emerging artists from the Asian diaspora whose practices focus on
textiles, minority identity and homelands.
The artists invited to participate in the upcoming edition of Asia NOW 2023 for special projects are : Raisa Kabir, Rajyashri Goody and Aiko Tezuka.
COOKING IS CARING
Artist: Lei Saito
Cooking is Caring is a new program designed by Asia NOW for its 2nd year hosted at the welcoming and majestic site of the Monnaie de Paris.
Cooking is Caring seeks to bridge the gap between art and cooking, celebrating the daily practices essential to life: eating, being together, and building or rebuilding a sense of community, whether during a meal or a ceremony. These moments of well-being and sensory pleasure also provides an opportunity to share culinary expertise and tableware reimagined by the artists. These artistic practices demonstrate particular attentions and cares for individuals and the collective, in the preparation of dishes, in their presentation and in their sharing.
Key projects include Lei Saito presented by 91530 Le Marais, whose installation “Chanvre et Eau” offers to our guests and immersive culinary
experience.
Lei Saito’s installation at the Monnaie de Paris is a celebration of the harmony between art, nature and gastronomy. It’s an invitation to discover, feel and taste a world where the hemp fields of 91530 Le Marais come to life in the heart of the peristyle courtyard, reminding us that art is everywhere, even in what we eat.
PERFORMANCES
An exceptional program of performances will take place at Asia NOW from October 19 to 22 this year. Notable projects include performances by Maitha Abdalla (presented by Tabari Artspace); Yahon Chang, Moe Satt, Selin Davasse, whose work condenses systems of thought into intimate feminine expressions; Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige with “Your Faith is in Your Hand”; and Tingwei Li with a collaborative and introspective work entitled “Acting Praying”.
CONVERSATION PLATFORM
The project is conceived in partnership with Thanks for Nothing, an association that mobilizes artists and the world of culture by organizing artistic and solidarity projects with a concrete impact on society.
For this 9th edition, we’ll host a rich platform for conversation, co-produced by Thanks for Nothing x Art Review focusing on art and engagement; by Tselinny Centre of Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, addressing the issues facing the contemporary art scenes in Central Asia.
Organizations such as Asia Society France and international contributors such as Nicolas Bourriaud (on the forthcoming Gwangju Biennale), Catherine David or Vivienne Chow, will address specific issues defining the Asian art market.
WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN
Pébéo continues its support for Asia NOW’s children’s workshops for the second consecutive year.
PRIX NICE (HE)ART
The “Nice (He)art Prize”, created and awarded by Francisca Viudes, will bring together a jury made up of collectors and professionals from the art world including Thomas Aillagon, Soraya Chaar, Joanna Chevalier, Sylvie and Bruno Compagnon, Brigitte and François Fauchon, Stéphanie Fribourg, Nathalie Girard and Fred Hubin, providing the Winner the opportunity to be part of the Heart for Heart Program.
The artist residency based in Nice serves a hub for research, development, creation and artistic production with the aim to facilitate links between artists and local communities for projects with an institutional dimension.
2022 and 2023 winners :
Lucia Tallova, Nikhil Chopra, Nicolas Lamas.
This year’s program : Damien Deroubaix, Firouz Farmanfarmaian, Marion Flament and Elisabeth Von Samsonow.
Sisley and its Deputy Managing Director, Christine d’Ornano, support the curatorial platform of the Slavs And Tatars art collective.
“Sisley is actively participating in the curatorial platform proposed for the next edition of Asia NOW at the Monnaie de Paris. Last year, Sisley sponsored Mingei Asia NOW, the carte blanche given to independent curator Nicolas Trembley.
This year, Sisley is supporting the Slavs and Tatars art collective, guest curators of the 9th edition, with their exhibition devoted to textiles and fabrics in the contemporary arts of Central Asia. This project provides a better understanding of the crafts, identities and information derived from them.
True to its commitment to exchanges between eras and generations, Sisley is sponsoring this exhibition, a true reflection of an art of living, where traditional and contemporary practices maintain an unbroken dialogue.
Convinced of the importance of art and culture as vehicles for sharing, I believe in the values of Sisley, which wishes to play an active role in promoting established and emerging artists.
For this 9th edition, Sisley and Asia NOW are joining forces to invite you on a journey to Asia, where art and the awakening of consciences meet in an unprecedented way.”
Christine d’Ornano, Deputy Managing Director of Sisley.
Press release from Asia NOW
