This week, East Asian biennials, triennials and art fairs will see a stream of art lovers and observers visit Asia cities like Gwanju, Busan, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Nanjing and Yokohama, making East Asia a major destination on the international art circuit.
Kicking off the September craze are the 7th Gwanju and the 6th Busan Biennial, starting on Sept. 5 and 6 respectively.
The 7th Gwanju Biennial (Sept. 5 to Nov. 9) will be led by renown Okwui Enwezor as the event's artistic director and curators Ranjit Hoskote and Hyunjin Kim.
Themed "Annual Report: A Year in Exhibition", the biennial will have three inter-connected components: "On the Road", featuring recent exhibitions from 2007 to 2008; "Position Papers" dedicated to initiatives of five emerging curators; and "Insertions", featuring new works specifically commissioned for the biennial.
The main events will be held at Biennial Hall, Gwangju Museum of Art, Uijae Museum of Korean Art, Cinema Gwangju and the Daein Traditional Market.
The 6th Busan Biennial (Sept. 6 to Nov. 15) will center on the theme "Expenditure", which was borrowed from philosopher Georges Bataille's concept in understanding the structure of culture and society. "Expenditure" will comprise a contemporary art exhibition that will feature 103 works from 25 countries and will be held at the Busan Museum of Modern Art and the Busan Yachting Center.
The Sea Art Festival, with the theme "Voyage without Boundaries", will showcase 80 works from 27 countries and will be held at Gwangalli Beach.
Meanwhile, a Busan sculpture project, titled "Avant Garden", will show 20 works from 10 countries at APEC Naru Park.
The 7th Shanghai Biennial will be held from Sept. 9 to Nov. 19, at the Shanghai Art Museum. Led by Artistic Director Zhang Qing and Curators Henk Slager and Julian Heynen, the biennial takes the theme of "Translocalmotion", reflecting on the socio-economic and cultural implications of urbanization on both the local and global levels, including the issues of migration and identity.
No doubt, Shanghai will be buzzing with art collectors and art aficionados as Sh Contemporary Art Fair opens at the same time (Sept. 9).
But closer to home, it is the city state of Singapore that will snatches local attention, as it holds its second biennial (Sept. 11 to Nov. 16).
Led by the respected Fumio Nanjo as artistic director, and curators Joselina Cruz and Matthew Ngui, the Singapore Biennial, which is being organized by the National Art Council (NAC) of Singapore, revolves around the theme of "Wonder". The biennial proposes to investigate the articulation and creation of marvels, riddles and illusions in our modern world.
Featuring more than 50 artists and art collectives from more than 36 countries and regions, including Singapore, the exhibition will showcase an illustrious list of established and emerging artists from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, whose works engender wonder about the world we live in.
Some of the highlights include a massive pavilion designed by Shigeru Ban on Marina Bay. Consisting of 150 shipping containers and 34 paper tubes, this unique exhibition space will feature large outdoor installations by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Hans Op de Beeck and Anthony McCall.
An accompanying boutique art fair organized by Fortune Cookies Projects for NAC opens on Sept. 11 and 12 on Level 1 of the City Hall. Called "Showcase", it is the first of its kind.
A number of parallel events and exhibitions will emphasize the state of contemporary art in Asia. One such event is the "C8Art Talks" on Sept. 12 that kicks off with Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum, in "Conversation on Asian Contemporary Art in the Global Setting".
Other biennales in Asia include the 6th Taipei Biennial (Sept. 13 to Jan. 4), which is led by artistic director Manray Hsu and curator Vasif Kortun. It has no single theme, but the exhibition, held at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, has instead a constellation of co-related themes mostly addressing the chaotic state in this time of globalization.
There is also the 3rd Guanzhou Triennial (Sept. 6 to Nov. 16), which takes the theme "Farewell to Post Colonialism". Curated by Gao Shiming, Sarat Maharaj and Johnson Chang Tsong-zung, the triennial exhibition will be held at the Guangdong Museum of Art and its satellite museum, Time Museum, both in Guangzhou. The exhibition will involve 181 artists from more than 40 countries.
The 3rd Nanjing Triennale (Sept. 10 to Nov. 10) will center on Asia as its object and theme; curated by Fumihiko Sumitomo, Jaeyoung Kang, Zhenhua Li, Du Huang. The exhibitions will be held at Nanjing Museum and RCM The Museum of Modern Art.
In Japan, the Yokohama Triennale (Sept. 13 to Nov. 30), with the theme "Time Crevasse", is poised to be the country's biggest contemporary art event.
Led by Artistic Director Tsutomu Mizusawa and Curators Daniel Birnbaum, Hu Fang, Akiko Miyake, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Beatrix Ruf, the triennale will showcase a diverse range of works by 70 artists from around the world. It will be held at Central and Waterfront sites, and will include site-specific installation works around the city.
