SUNSHOWER: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now

The the largest-ever in scale, SUNSHOWER seeks to explore the many practices of contemporary art in Southeast Asia since 1980s. It aims to showcase its inconceivable dynamism of Southeast Asia that is somewhat nostalgic yet extraordinarily new. The “sunshower” – rain falling from clear skies – is an intriguing yet frequently-seen meteorological phenomenon in Southeast […]

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The the largest-ever in scale, SUNSHOWER seeks to explore the many practices of contemporary art in Southeast Asia since 1980s. It aims to showcase its inconceivable dynamism of Southeast Asia that is somewhat nostalgic yet extraordinarily new. The “sunshower” – rain falling from clear skies – is an intriguing yet frequently-seen meteorological phenomenon in Southeast Asia, and serves as a metaphor for the vicissitudes of the region. SUNSHOWER explores the development of contemporary art in Southeast Asia since the 1980s against the backdrop of the currents and fluctuations of the times from 9 different perspectives, and aims to capture its dynamism and diversity. After a two-and-a-half-year-long field research conducted in the Southeast Asian region, the team selected approximately 190 artworks by 86 artist groups from the 10 ASEAN member countries to exhibit in two museums simultaneously: National Art Center, Tokyo and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

Nine sections: Fluid World, Passion and Revolution, Archiving, Diverse Identities, Day by Day, Growth and Loss, What is art? Why Do It?, Medium as Meditation, Dialogue with History.

All photos: Mori Art Museum

Exhibition Period: July 5, 2017 – October 23, 2017
Venues: The National Art Center, Tokyo, and Mori Art Museum 
Organizers: The National Art Center, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum; The Japan Foundation Asia Center
Curatorial Team:
[The National Art Center, Tokyo] Yoneda Naoki (Curator) / Kida Sayuri (Associate Curator) / Mukasa Yuiko (Assistant Curator) /Minami Yusuke (Director, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art | Former Deputy Director, The National Art Center, Tokyo)
[Mori Art Museum] Kataoka Mami (Chief Curator) / Tokuyama Hirokazu (Associate Curator) / Kumakura Haruko (Assistant Curator) / Araki Natsumi (Curator) / Kondo Kenichi (Curator) / Tsubaki Reiko (Associate Curator)
[Independent Curators from Southeast Asia] Merv Espina (Artist / Curator, The Philippines) / Vera Mey (Curator, Singapore) / Ong Jo-Lene (Curator, Malaysia) / Grace Samboh (Curator, Indonesia)