July 30–August 2, 2015
Seattle Art Fair
CenturyLink Field Event Center
Seattle, WA
A signature exhibition of video, film, and sound works by artists in the Pacific Rim and beyond
An extension of Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) Curatorial & Educational Platform
Curated by Leeza Ahmady
Participating artists:
Monira Al Qadiri (Kuwait City & Tokyo) / Burçak Bingöl (Istanbul) / Patty Chang (Boston) / Tiffany Chung (Ho Chi Minh City) / Alexis Destoop (Sydney & Brussels) / Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba (Ho Chi Minh City) / Ho Tzu-Nyen (Singapore) / Kato Sawako (Tokyo) / Khvay Samnang (Phnom Penh) / Lee Kit (Hong Kong & Taipei) / Charles Lim (Singapore) / Jawshing Arthur Liou (Indiana & Taipei) / Tracey Moffatt (New York & Brisbane) / Qui Shiming (Beijing) / Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Chiang Mai) / Wael Shawky (Alexandria) / Sun Xun (Beijing) / Patrick Todd (New York) / Charwei Tsai (Ho Chi Minh City, Paris & Taipei) / Alexander Ugay (Almaty) / Tintin Wulia (Brisbane & Jakarta) / Jamie Zigelbaum (New York) / Polit-Sheer-Form Office, artist collective: Hong Hao, Xiao Yu, Song Dong, Liu Jianhua, Leng Lin (Beijing) / MAP Office: Laurent Guttierez & Valerie Portefaix (Hong Kong)
THINKING CURRENTS foregrounds the immediacy of experimentation with moving image, particularly video and film, by some of today’s most compelling artists, whose practices also variously relate to and problematize the cultural, political, and geographical parameters of the Pacific Rim.
The exhibition activates Seattle’s geo-economic position in the Pacific Northwest of the United States as a significant new arena for transnational connectivity with creative communities based around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, as well as other regions of the Global South. THINKING CURRENTS consciously underscores individual art practices while examining common denominators and collective manifestations to stage the intensity of a wide range of pressing inquires launched by artists in recent years. Beyond a broad exploration of formal aesthetics, works reflecting issues of migration, the environment, identity, technology, nation building, conflict and stagnation within the various liquid and land territories of East and Southeast Asia are especially considered. The exhibition is “an investigation into the cartography of globalization—and the myths, realities, and dreams associated with our planet’s primordial yet last frontier: the ocean.”
THINKING CURRENTS refrains from engaging in overarching statements in an effort to yield fresh and nuanced contextual stratum. It raises numerous questions in search of unexpected undercurrents, connections, and reflections to facilitate visibility for a great knowledge base of historical and contemporary insight. Ultimately, through critical inquiry into the making and thinking about art within the specificities of The Pacific Rim, which includes three of the world’s major continents—Asia, Australia & America (North and South)—THINKING CURRENTS seeks to contribute to a rethinking of global contemporaneity.
Curator led exhibition tours
Friday, July 31, 4–5pm
Sunday, August 2, 2–3pm
Keynote discussion: “Liquid Territories & the Flux of Myths, Dreams and Reality”
Saturday, August 1, 3:30–5pm
With curator Leeza Ahmady and Hong Kong-based artists Map Office: Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix, mapping inquiries around a set of pressing concerns within and around the Pacific Rim territories (Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, etc.) in connection to the Pacific Northwest and the world at large.
Supporting institutions:
Aike-Dellarco Gallery, Asia Art +, Chi-Wen Gallery, Edouard Malingue Gallery, FuturePerfect, Hanart TZ Gallery, Lisson Gallery, MABSOCIETY, Mizuma Art Gallery, Osage Gallery, SA SA BASSAC, TKG+, Transfer Gallery, and Tyler Rollins Fine Art. Audio/video design by Bauer Audio Inc.
The inaugural Seattle Art Fair presents an unprecedented program in the Pacific Northwest, showcasing over 60 local, regional and international galleries, alongside citywide installations, onsite projects, and public programs. For more information, visit: seattleartfair.com.
Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) is a collaborative non-profit initiative, fiscally sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), bringing together select art institutions to present cutting-edge exhibitions, innovative projects, networking opportunities, and provocative dialogues on current topics. ACAW’s 10th edition is scheduled for October 28–November 8, 2015. For more information, visit www.acaw.info.
Press contact:
Ambika Trasi
ambika.acaw [at] gmail.com / T +646 416 6454
