ArtAsiaPacific Magazine - January - February 2021

In this issue

Covid-19 compelled all of us to dramatically adjust our daily lives in 2020. ArtAsiaPacific’s Almanac 2021 reflects these adaptations. For City Reports, we asked writers to reflect on the changes that have unfolded where they reside, from New Delhi and Ramallah to Beirut and Seoul. Additionally, five artists, curators, and collectives share their Perspectives on 2020, including Jakarta’s ruangrupa, who have been preparing for their edition of documenta 2022, and Olga Veselova, who curated an exhibition in one of the only physical locations still open in Almaty: the supermarket. The Almanac also compiles the most notable news about censorship issues, rights advocacy, developments in the arts infrastructure, and other milestone events. In Cultural Currency, we examine how the art market shifted gears in light of Covid-19, and how these strategies have paid off at fairs and auctions. Elsewhere, the editors select exhibitions and festivals that stood out in 2020, and events to look forward to in 2021. We also spotlight six artists who captured the zeitgeist with their projects and exhibitions: Yoshitomo Nara, Tarek Atoui, Brook Andrew, Mai-Thu Perret, Forensic Architecture, and Leelee Chan.

With these components, Almanac 2021 extends AAP’s archive of the artistic phenomena emerging from the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. We are grateful for the Almanac’s many contributors, as well as Burger Collection, CL3 Architects, Kukje Gallery, Simon Suen Foundation, Mapletree, Sunpride Foundation, and Stefan Rihs, who made this endeavor possible.

Though 2020 was a challenging year for many, we hope that our readers will see the solidarity and connections that have remained intact in the global art community, despite the shifts and uncertainties of our ever-transforming world.

ArtAsiaPacific Magazine Description:

For 20 years, ArtAsiaPacific Magazine has been at the forefront of the powerful creative forces that shape contemporary art from Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Covering the latest in contemporary visual culture, ArtAsiaPacific is published 6 times a year in Hong Kong, with editorial desks in 25 countries around the world. Our special annual issue, the ArtAsiaPacific Almanac, published in January, covers the major art events of the past year and forecasts the key trends of the year to come.
The dominant artistic influence in the world today - and for many years to come emanates from the vast territory that lies between Turkey and the Pacific island of Tonga that we call the Asia-Pacific. This territory includes India, China, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Pakistan, New Zealand, Korea and Indonesia, whose combined populations make up an amazing half of the world's total population. Also included are Burma, Cambodia, Kiribati and Uzbekistan - places hitherto overlooked, but which like their gigantic neighbors, are producing cutting-edge art of stunning and unexpected quality.
ArtAsiaPacific is authoritative, accurate, even-handed, exact and essential. Included in each issue is an up-to-date directory of the major galleries, not-for-profit organizations and museums with a focus on contemporary art from our geographical footprint. ArtAsiaPacific offers thoughtful reportage, analysis, comment and criticism to its readers made up of collectors, gallerists, curators, artists and those who want and who need to know the latest developments in the fastest-growing and most astonishing region of the contemporary art world.