The Asian Art Museum hosts ‘Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past’, a significant exhibition that explores the complex and vastly cross-cultural perspectives of Asian cosmology and spirituality through a compelling interplay of about 140 artworks drawn from the past and present.
Curated by Mami Kataoka, chief curator of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, in conjunction with the Asian Art Museum’s assistant curator of contemporary art, Allison Harding, it’s the first major exhibit of contemporary art organized by the world-renowned institution. Providing art lovers with highly immersive experiences, it offers insights into a wide range of curious belief systems and mythologies, which have shaped Asian cultures over time.
“The concept of phantoms or ‘spirits’ is rather elusive. It’s still often felt and shared across the various different cultures and time periods. Through its apparent emphasis on interconnectivity, this exhibit gives an opportunity to experience those ‘invisible forces’ in a tangible and slightly provocative way - with Asian art at the center,” states its director Jay Xu
It includes works of art by several renowned and upcoming artists from Canada, China, Singapore, Tibet, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, Hong Kong, and India. Many of the contemporary installations are new or site-specific commissions. When combined with the museum’s collections, they seem to represent a contrasting array of themes, materials, forms as well as media - stone, metal, fabric, wood etc; and masks, textiles, film, video, photographs, sculptures, ceramics, and paintings.
Communication between plants, animals and humans plays a major part in the mythologies of several cultures. Artists deal with this theme in a showcase at Osher Gallery. In Jagannath Panda’s work, ‘The Cult of Survival II’, endless cycles of consumption and production are symbolized in the form of a snake crafted from pipes. On the other hand, Adeela Suleman from Pakistan utilizes stainless steel reliefs of natural objects like birds, flowers, trees to serve as storytellers.
Curated by Mami Kataoka, chief curator of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, in conjunction with the Asian Art Museum’s assistant curator of contemporary art, Allison Harding, it’s the first major exhibit of contemporary art organized by the world-renowned institution. Providing art lovers with highly immersive experiences, it offers insights into a wide range of curious belief systems and mythologies, which have shaped Asian cultures over time.
“The concept of phantoms or ‘spirits’ is rather elusive. It’s still often felt and shared across the various different cultures and time periods. Through its apparent emphasis on interconnectivity, this exhibit gives an opportunity to experience those ‘invisible forces’ in a tangible and slightly provocative way - with Asian art at the center,” states its director Jay Xu
It includes works of art by several renowned and upcoming artists from Canada, China, Singapore, Tibet, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, Hong Kong, and India. Many of the contemporary installations are new or site-specific commissions. When combined with the museum’s collections, they seem to represent a contrasting array of themes, materials, forms as well as media - stone, metal, fabric, wood etc; and masks, textiles, film, video, photographs, sculptures, ceramics, and paintings.
Communication between plants, animals and humans plays a major part in the mythologies of several cultures. Artists deal with this theme in a showcase at Osher Gallery. In Jagannath Panda’s work, ‘The Cult of Survival II’, endless cycles of consumption and production are symbolized in the form of a snake crafted from pipes. On the other hand, Adeela Suleman from Pakistan utilizes stainless steel reliefs of natural objects like birds, flowers, trees to serve as storytellers.
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