Why is NOW such an important time for contemporary Asian art? What do we gain by paying closer attention to emerging artists and trends from Asia and inversely, what do we stand to lose by failing to engage with this crucial component of Asia’s ascension in the world? The San Francisco Bay Area, with its unique geographic position and historical past, has enjoyed an extensive engagement with Asian art. Asia Society Northern California will organize a two-panel symposium in conjunction with the 2015 Annual Dinner to further explore the dynamic landscape of contemporary Asian art. The event will convene leaders in various realms of the contemporary Asian art world to engage in a conversation on the interconnectedness of Asia, the Bay Area and the globalized world.
Part one of the symposium will focus on the responsibility of major museums, specifically the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Asia Society, to respond to the ever dramatically changing landscape of contemporary art whether local, global or regional. The panel will be moderated by Peggy Loar with keynote discussants Jay Xu and Neal Benezra. Part two will acknowledge the Bay Area’s historic engagement with Asian and Asian American art while focusing on the recent developments and possibilities for the future. This panel will be moderated by Michelle Yun with speakers Cheryl Haines, Britta Erickson and Li Huayi.
Speakers:
Neal Benezra — Director, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Britta Erickson — Artistic Director, Ink Studio, Beijing; independent scholar and curator of contemporary Chinese art
Cheryl Haines — 2015 Asia Society Annual Dinner Honoree; Curator, @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz; Founding Executive Director, FOR-SITE Foundation
Li Huayi — 2015 Asia Society Annual Dinner Honoree; San Francisco-based Chinese American artist celebrated for his synthesis of Chinese ink landscape tradition and Western abstraction
Peggy Loar (moderator) — Interim Vice President, Global Arts & Culture and Director, Asia Society Museum
Jay Xu — Director, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Michelle Yun (moderator) — Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Asia Society Museum
Program Agenda:
12:30 - 1:00 pm: Registration
1:00 - 2:00 pm: Panel 1: Multiple Asias and the Role of Major Museums in the Future of Contemporary Asian Art
2:00 - 2:45 pm: Panel 2: The Future of Asian Art and What It Means for the Bay Area
2:45 - 3:00 pm: Audience Q&A