Symposium: “No Country: Regarding South and Southeast Asia”
Copresented by Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
and Queens Museum of Art
April 16 and 18, 2013
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Fifth Avenue at 89th Street
New York City
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Queens, New York
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Queens Museum of Art present “No Country: Regarding South and Southeast Asia,” a two-part program exploring how national borders affect the production, presentation, and reception of contemporary art in this historically complex and sociopolitically diverse region. Extending the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative’s focus on expansive intellectual collaboration, the symposium continues the conversation begun at the inaugural public program held in November 2012 at the Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok, Thailand. This symposium is presented in conjunction with the inaugural Guggenheim UBS MAP exhibition, No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum through May 22.
Part I: Screening and Artist Talk—Wong Hoy Cheong
Tuesday April 16, 6:30pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Fifth Avenue at 89th Street
New York City
No Country exhibition artist Wong Hoy Cheong’s (b. 1960, Malaysia) work addresses history through a focus on colonization, race relations, and the migration of peoples. In his 2010 short film Doghole, the director recounts an experience of imprisonment during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and a later journey to Japan. Following the screening, Wong will discuss his current projects. A reception and exhibition viewing will take place immediately thereafter.
Part II: Keynote, Talks, and Conversations
Thursday April 18, 11am
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Queens, New York
In a series that includes a short keynote lecture, art talks, and intimate conversations, artists, art historians, filmmakers, curators, and scholars convene to address the interpretation, circulation, and cultural and historical specificities of South and Southeast Asian contemporary art. This daylong program considers the various impacts of ethno-nationalism, colonialism, and globalization on national identity, with a particular focus on community activism and experimental thinking in art. Presented by specialists from the region, these discussions trace a diverse and shifting spectrum of creative practices. Seating is limited. Lunch is included and the program is followed by a reception at the museum.
The Queens Museum of Art is located next to the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens (7 train to Mets-Willets Point station).
Schedule (order and times subject to change):
11am
Welcome, Tom Finkelpearl, Queens Museum of Art
Introduction, June Yap, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Short keynote lecture, Nora Taylor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
In Conversation, Ly Daravuth, Reyum Institute, Cambodia
1pm
Lunch at Queens Museum of Art
2pm
Art Talk, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Jim Thompson Art Center, Thailand
Art Talk, Sharmini Pereira, Raking Leaves, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/Canada
In Conversation, Phunam, Matt Lucero, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen of The Propeller Group, Vietnam/United States
Group discussion, moderated by Nora Taylor
Questions from the audience
4:30pm
Reception with tour of Arte Util Lab and sneak peek of the museum’s expansion project.
FREE with RSVP at guggenheim.org/MAP
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About the exhibition
The symposium is organized in conjunction with No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia. The exhibition, curated by June Yap, Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator, South and Southeast Asia, reflects a wide range of artistic and intellectual practices from the region and features works in a variety of mediums by 22 artists and collectives from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Queens Museum Of Art
The Queens Museum of Art is an international art space in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, with programs reflecting the diversity of Queens and New York City. The museum presents work by emerging and established artists in exhibitions and projects addressing urban issues and local history. It seeks to exact positive change in surrounding communities via multilingual outreach, education, and residencies. The forthcoming 2015 exhibition The Rising Phoenix: A Dialogue Between Modern and Contemporary Indian Art, is the latest in an ongoing series of QMA examinations of South and Southeast Asian art that also includes Out of India: Contemporary Art of the South Asian Diaspora (1997–98); Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India (2005); Fatal Love: South Asian American Art Now (2005), and Contemporary Art in Asia: Traditions/Tensions (1997), which featured work from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand, by artists including several participants in No Country. www.queensmuseum.org
About the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative
The Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative is a multi-year cross-cultural collaboration between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and UBS in support of art, artists, and curatorial talent from South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. For additional public and online programs, including daily film screenings and workshops visit guggenheim.org/MAP.
