Asia Forum at the 59th Venice Biennale

Image of Saodat Ismailova, Qyrq Qyz” (forty girls), 2018. Filmed by Carlos Casas. Courtesy of the artist.

The inaugural one-day programme of the Asia Forum for the Contemporary Art of Global Asias will be held during the opening week of the 59th Venice Biennale. Supported by the Bagri Foundation, the free event will be held online and at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia on 23 April 2022.

The programme includes discussions, artists’ presentations, interactive sessions and screenings that bring together the most urgent voices in contemporary art from Asia and its diaspora.

The Asia Forum’s presence in Venice will instigate exploration of pertinent themes in relation to the national pavilions and collateral events presenting the arts of Asia. It will provide the public with richer and deeper engagement with the art of Asian artists represented in the Biennale.

Speakers include:

Reza Afisina (ruangrupa), a new media artist from West Java, Indonesia
Patrick Flores, academic and curator from the Philippines
Ho Rui An, artist and writer from Singapore
Yuki Kihara, representing artist at the New Zealand Pavilion
Abbas Zahedi, interdisciplinary artist based in the UK

Conceived by Annie Jael Kwan, the Asia Forum works with a council of international curators and researchers (Hammad Nasar, John Tain and Ming Tiampo). Through its platform of sustained dialogue and the exchange of knowledge, the Asia Forum seeks to nurture a community among diverse researchers, artists, curators and producers interested and invested in the arts of global Asias.

Asia Forum is made possible with thanks to the additional support of Something Human and is presented in partnership with ArtReview, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, IED – Istituto Europeo di Design, Ca’ Foscari Alumni, GAD – Giudecca Art District, School for Curatorial Studies Venice. With the patronage of the DVRI – Distretto Veneziano della Richerca e dell’Innovazione and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

Image: Saodat Ismailova, Qyrq Qyz” (forty girls), 2018. Filmed by Carlos Casas. Courtesy of the artist.