July 1, 2017

Text: Annie Block

Contemporary Art From Southeast Asia Celebrated in Japan

Lee Wen’s C-print Strange Fruit is part of “Sunshower: Contemporary Art From Southeast Asia 1980’s to Now” in Tokyo. Image courtesy of Lee Wen and the National Art Center, Tokyo.

It was exactly 50 years ago this summer that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was formed to facilitate economic, political, scientific, educational, and cultural integration among members, currently Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. In the cultural sphere, that anniversary is being celebrated with “Sunshower: Contemporary Art From Southeast Asia 1980’s to Now.” The exhibition is actually appearing outside the region—at two Japanese venues simultaneously, starting July 5. The 180 works, in a range of mediums, are split between the National Art Center, Tokyo, and the city’s Mori Art Museum.
 

Fluid World (from the series “Orang Besar”) by Yee I-Lann, 2010. Image courtesy of Silverlens Galleries, Makati, The Philippines.

Voice Without a Voice /Sign by FX Harsono, 1993-1994. Image courtesy of Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.

Stormy Weather by Felix Bacolor, 2009. Image courtesy of Lee Wen and the National Art Center, Tokyo.

City of Towering Columns (from the series “Proposals for My Country”) by Liew Kung Yu, 2009. Image courtesy of Lee Wen and the National Art Center, Tokyo.

> See more from the June 2017 issue of Interior Design
 

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