The Japan Foundation Asian Art Archive
The Japan Foundation established the ASEAN Culture Center in January 1990 to introduce and showcase the diverse cultures of Asia with a focus on ASEAN countries. In line with an emphasis on the contemporary art and culture of each country, the Japan Foundation in 1990 hosted the exhibition “Narrative Visions in Contemporary ASEAN Art” (February 12–26, 1990), and with it launched its cultural exchange program on Asian art. This program has since undergone various organizational changes but continues to this day to host exhibitions and symposiums and train new curators, selecting whatever format is most appropriate for the age.
Since the 1990s, as the Japan Foundation has administered this program, the world has come to hold a strong interest in art from the Asian region, though it was previously often ignored. Asian contemporary art moved beyond its infancy preoccupied with passive acceptance of Western styles, and individual artists discovered their own individual methods and styles. Today there are ever greater numbers of Asian artists active on the international stage.
To reflect back on the Japan Foundation’s history of work in support of these developments in Asian art, we have established the Japan Foundation Asian Art Archive, which is described here. We, as direct witnesses to the journey of contemporary art in Asia, hope that sharing it here will help to serve as a foundation for relationships with Asia in the future.
- *A PDF file of all pages of catalogue / report.
- *B PDF file of texts only.
- In addition to the above data published on the website, catalogs and reports, exhibition / symposium/ event images, audio, and film archives are available for browsing and viewing at the Japan Foundation Library.
the Japan Foundation Library
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