Magazine/WebExclusives/MitJaiInnDreamworld It is surprising Mit Jai Inn, a leading figure in Thai contemporary art for the past 35 years, remains relatively little-known outside of Southeast Asia. Perhaps because his dedication to working anonymously on collective initiatives meant his work thrived outside of art world parameters, unnoticed by curators and art institutions in the West, or because he doesn’t necessarily consider what he creates as “contemporary art,” nor feels a need to pursue recognition as an “artist.” Whatever the reason, this major solo exhibition of recent and new works ..read more

Magazine/126/WhatAlternativeTheRiseOfIndependentArtSpacesInPandemicEraShanghai/Zh 從美國和1970年代在紐約由藝術家經營的藝術實踐之背景下，「另類藝術空間」通常定義為一個場所，而不是一個商業機構；通常由藝術家塑造，用於公開展示藝術作品，包括那些「非傳統」媒體，如影像、行為藝術和數碼技術。 由於缺乏對藝術的公共資助，另類空間的定義在許多非西方國家變得複雜。在這種情況下，另類平台往往以與商業畫廊相差無幾的方式運作。在中國就是這樣，另類空間通過藝術銷售獲得收入，依靠組織者的個人資金或贊助人的慷慨解囊，否則只會是曇花一現（當然，這是一種全球現象：對歐洲、美國和大洋洲的另類空間的研究，如Jasmin Glaab的文章「The Swiss artist-run scene 2020」、Emma Bugden2020年聚焦新西蘭的論文，以及Emma Coffield於2015年關於英國的研究「Artist-Run Initiatives: A Study of Cultural Construction ..read more

Magazine/WebExclusives/AbsorbingLiquidGround We are living in the Anthropocene. As a species, we have surpassed others in transforming the ecosystems and biochemistry of Earth, doing what had once only been done by severe forces of nature. For anthropologist Anna Tsing, the Anthropocene began with modern capitalism, which has devastated our landscapes and spoiled the relationships we have with other species. In The Mushroom at the End of the World (2015), she proposes decentralizing the human perspective and capitalistic notions of progress in favor of alternative, pluralistic, and nonhuman ..read more

News/BreakThroughsWeeklyNewsRoundup The Sharjah Art Foundation revealed the recipients of the Sharjah Film Platform 4 (SFP4) awards at a closing ceremony on November 27. For narrative films, Atjipal Singh’s Fire in the Mountains (2021), set in the Himalayas, won best feature-length film; the jury said it “paint[s] a portrait of an isolated community where a woman is confronted with corruption and sorcery while struggling to make a better life for her family.” Janus Victoria’s The Myth of Manila (2021) was judged the best narrative short film. In the documentary section the winners were: Dhya ..read more

Magazine/WebExclusives/PaperTigerTheaterStudiosHeartChamberFragments Unlike contemporary Chinese artists such as Ai Weiwei and Yue Minjun or writers like Mo Yan and Yan Lianke, Chinese theater directors and their collectives rarely achieve widespread name recognition. While images and texts travel well enough, multi-hour performances require a certain physical architecture and funding ecosystem in order to be staged across the world, which makes the ongoing residency of Beijing’s Paper Tiger Theater Studio in Berlin both a rare treat and a performance-art event in its own right. Under the gu ..read more

News/OmantoDebutatthe59thVeniceBiennale For the first time in history, the upcoming Venice Biennale will include an Oman pavilion. Curated by Aisha Stoby, the presentation will spotlight five practitioners—painter Anwar Sonya, multimedia artists Hassan Meer, Radhika Khimji, and Budoor Al-Riyami, and Riya Al-Rawahi. Spanning three generations, the five selected artists each made significant contributions to the development of contemporary art in Oman. Sonya, who is also referred to as the “godfather” of modern and contemporary Omani art, creates works that incorporate Arabic calligraphy, brig ..read more

Blog/Valentine40 “Valentine” is a biweekly project by ArtAsiaPacific’s photo editor, Peter Chung, in which he gives a loving eulogy to each day. To read more of ArtAsiaPacific’s articles, visit our Digital Library ..read more

Magazine/WebExclusives/ThreeTakesOnTinoSehgal It was dark. Tino Sehgal’s This Variation (2012) is not something to see. It is instead the feelings of vulnerability and confusion that surge as one enters the closed, pitch-black performance venue, the piqued interest when people in the room begin moving and creating sound, and the caution and skepticism that ensue the revelation that the person next to you may be more than just a fellow audience member. People danced. I sensed the movements before I could glean the outline of their maker’s form. Someone fell next to me and another person dropp ..read more

News/JimThompsonArtCenterUnveilsNewBuilding On November 27, Jim Thompson Art Center (JTAC) in Bangkok reopened after three years of construction on a new building and renovation of the adjacent Jim Thompson House Museum. JTAC’s new four-story, 3,000-square-meter building was designed by the Bangkok-based architecture and design studio Design Qua (founded by Malina Palasthira and John Erskine) and houses two exhibition galleries, a functional rooftop space, library, cafe, and museum shop. The new spaces are designed to host more public programs, performances, lectures, shows, workshops, and o ..read more

Magazine/126/OneOnOneMoniraAlQadiriOnYukioMishima/Zh 作為一個九十年代在科威特長大的、沈迷日本的孩子，我對三島由紀夫的小說上癮，每一個清醒的瞬間我都在不停地閱讀。我對於三島的世界中極具男子氣概卻又充滿同性色彩、深刻敏感而又殘酷暴力的作品而感到無法自拔。對於草葉和細小植物的感觀的精緻描寫，混雜著對切腹的殘酷幻想和寺廟被縱火犯燒毀的地獄景象。不知何故，這些怪異的書為我提供了一個窗口，尤其在我嘗試處理真正的性別障礙的情況下，令我逃離這個極其保守的社會。 沒過多久，我搬至日本。我住在日本的十年中，我緩慢但確切地遠離了三島的幻想以及性別困擾。當我問及我的日本朋友關於他的事情時，大部分人總是皺眉，避而不談。隨著時間推移，我發現，儘管三島在國外是一個享譽盛名的作家，在日本他卻是一個充滿政治色彩和爭議的人物。隨著他的名氣越來越大，他開始健美，成為一個熱愛天皇的右翼極端分子，甚至還創建了自己的小型私人軍隊。他還是一個同性戀者，這在當時的日本都是不可接受的。不幸的是，1970年11月25日，他劫持了日本陸上自衛隊總部，在士兵和媒體面前發表演講，企圖發動政變。而當他發現自己無法激勵他們時，他決心切腹，震驚了一整個國家。 目睹了日本社會的黑暗面後，我漸漸也對這個國度幻滅，離開了那裡去尋找新的道路。多年後的一個瞬間，我突然憶起姊姊Fatima ..read more