Leading art museums discuss Asian contemporary art

In February the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan held a symposium, “How is the World Engaging with Contemporary Asian Art ?” Directors from leading museums from the West and Japan discussed art from Asia in relation to their institutions’ collection policy and exhibition programmes.

The panelists were members of the Mori Art Museum’s International Advisory Committee, established in 1999 with the aim of exchanging ideas and collaborating on exhibition projects. They included Shuji Takashina, director of Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki; David Elliott, artistic director of 17th Biennale of Sydney; Udo Kittelmann, director of Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate Gallery, London; Alfred Pacquement, director of the Musee National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou; and Fumio Nanjo, director of the Mori Art Museum.

The panelists discussed their future projects with Asia, while also noting significant past exhibitions and programmes which inform the background of this engagement. Also among the issues discussed was the rising phenomenon of Chinese art. As reported by The Japan Times, a number of panelists stressed that while contemporary Chinese artworks are fashionable, the role of museums is to provide a “critical perspective” on whether the resulting high prices of such works are valid.