BE/LONGING: CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART

Vast, vibrant, and rapidly changing, Asia is a fertile ground for contemporary artists. The seven artists in Be/longing were born in different parts of Asia: India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand. They have all spent time or moved outside of Asia. Their experiences as both insiders and outsiders have compelled them to explore their Asian heritage from multiple perspectives. Their works, as a result, are at once Asian and global.

Drawn from the museum’s collection and one private collection, these works comment on fundamental concerns of who we are and where we belong. These are not new issues, but they are more relevant than ever in an age when the world is becoming more diverse and mobile. Working in a variety of mediums, the artists address topics such as individuals and their places in changing societies, the past and its lingering presence, and the ambiguity and complexity of gender. Viewers will find artworks that are in turn daring, poetic, or sarcastic and that invite us to pause and look, wander and ponder.