The debut Asia Society Triennial launched last week in New York, taking place at the organization’s home base at 725 Park Avenue and other spaces throughout the city. Entitled “We Do Not Dream Alone,” the multi-venue exhibition features a roster of free programming including forums, panels, and performances by more than 40 international artists through June 27, 2021.
“It is a vital time to connect on our common, human dreams,” said Asia Society President and CEO, Josette Sheeran. “This first-ever Triennial of Asian art will bring the power of visionary art and ideas to remind us that indeed we do not dream alone.”
Kyungah Ham, “What you see is the unseen / Chandeliers for Five Cities,” 2016-2017, North Korean hand embroidery, silk threads on cotton, middle man, smuggling, bribe, tension, anxiety, censorship, ideology, wooden frame, approx. 1900 hrs/4 persons H. 104 3/8 x W. 145 5/8 inches; presented as a diptych with “What you see is the unseen / Chandeliers for Five Cities,” 2018, North Korean hand embroidery, silk threads on cotton, middle man, smuggling, bribe, tension, anxiety, censorship, ideology, wooden frame, approx. 1900 hrs/4 person, H. 104 3/8 x W. 139 3/4 inches; courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery.
Rescheduled and altered to accommodate COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, the triennial now occurs across two parts, with the first live through February 7, 2021, and the second taking place from March 16—June 27, 2021. Co-curated by the former Vice President of Global Artistic Programs and Director of Asia Society Museum, Boon Hui Tan, and Michelle Yun, the Senior Curator of Asian Contemporary Art and Associate Director of the Asia Society Triennial, the program will activate spaces like Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, the Park Avenue Malls, New York Historical Society, and Times Square Arts.
Visitors can expect to find artists working across mediums like painting, photography, video, fiber art, sculpture, and performance, including presentations like Kimsooja’s multimedia conceptual work To Breathe—The Flags, an installation of ceramic vases surrounding themes of war by Reza Aramesh, a public interactive work by Mina Cheon in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, and Arpita Singh’s paintings exploring the role of older women in the contemporary Indian society. Additional participating artists include names like Ghiora Aharoni, Anne Samat, Xu Zhen, Lu Yang, Minouk Lim, Wen Hui, Sun Xun, Shahzia Sikander, Ken + Julia Yonetani, and Jordan Nassar.
Kevork Mourad, “Seeing Through Babel,” 2019, Acrylic on Egyptian cotton, 196 x 137 x 98 inches; courtesy of the artist.
Programming of note includes events exploring the inaugural theme “We Do Not Dream Aline,” like a film series curated by Giovanna Fulvi surrounding ideas of gender and gender expression in Asian cinema, a performance by the musician Susie Ibarra, and the exhibition “Dreaming Together: New-York Historical Society and Asia Society Museum,” offering a dialogue on topics like urban and natural environments, protest and rebellion, individuals and identities, and borders.
“The works chosen for the Triennial demonstrate the power of art to unite us despite the forces that divide us and will help us examine the meaning of art from Asia in an increasingly global context,” said Tan. “Opening up spaces for the right to dream has been a fundamental human ideal and experience shared across geography, race, nationality, and gender.”
Lao Tongli, “The Desire of Libido No. 5,” 2017-2019, Ink and mineral colors on silk, Three panels, each: H. 96 1/2 x W. 54 3/4 inches, overall: H. 96 1/2 x W. 164 3/16 inches; courtesy of the artist.
