A lively tour through experimental Chinese photography from the early 1990s to today   The past thirty years were dynamic, transformative decades in Chinese photography. Artists exposed to recent work from around the globe experimented with photography in newly conceptual and expressive ways, and their art from this period offers a portrait of a country at a moment of rapid urbanization, globalization, and cultural foment. A Window Suddenly Opens reveals the key role that photography has played in questioning and refashioning the aesthetic and social status quo of modern Chinese society for the past three decades.   Alongside prescient works by Cao Fei, Lin Tianmiao, Rong Rong, Song Dong, Wang Qingsong, Zhang Huan, Zhang Peili, and many other artists, essays and interviews by scholars and curators explore the history of experimental photography in China and the artistic transformations of the digital age. The book also features texts written between 1994 and 2014 by Chinese artists, some published for the first time here in English, which offer essential insights into their ideas and experiences as they forged new creative paths. To explore further, readers can instantly access artist videos inside this book with Hirshhorn Eye, the Hirshhorn Museum’s award-winning image-recognition technology.   Published in association with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden   Exhibition Schedule:   Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (November 4, 2022–January 7, 2024)

Pacific Century - E Ho'amau no Moananiakea is a substantial publication and catalogue published on the occasion of the Hawai'i Triennial 2022 (HT22), providing key art historical backgrounds and contemporary discussions on art, expanding the frame of reference for the Asia-Pacific region. Curatorial essays by the HT22 co-curators lay out the critical approaches that shaped the framework of the Triennial with the fluid concept of a Pacific Century, while a selection of previously published seminal texts by artists and scholars reflect on the expanded field of art history in the region. Also included is a newly commissioned conversation with Homi K. Bhabha, illuminating his theoretical criticism that continues to carve out a new discursive space where the marginalized find their agency. Each participating Triennial artist is included in a dedicated section with an original introductory text, work information, and images. Pacific Century - E Ho'amau no Moananiakea/i> will be an essential resource for critical exploration of contemporary art in Asia-Pacific at large.

A groundbreaking look at art made in China during the Cultural Revolution Although numerous books on the Cultural Revolution have been published, they do not analyze the profound shift in aesthetic values that occurred in China after the Communists took power. This fascinating book is the first to focus on artwork produced from the 1950s to the 1970s, when Mao Zedong was in leadership, and argues that important contributions were made during this period that require fuller consideration in Chinese art history, especially with relevance to the contemporary world. Previously, historians have tended to dismiss the art of the Cultural Revolution as pure propaganda. The authors of this volume (historians, art historians, and artists) argue that while much art produced during this time was infused with politics, and individual creativity and displays of free thought were sometimes stifled and even punished, it is short sighted to overlook the aesthetic sophistication, diversity, and accessibility of much of the imagery. Bringing together more than 200 extraordinary artworks, including oil paintings, ink scroll paintings, artist sketchbooks, posters, and objects from daily life, as well as primary documentation that has not been published outside of China or seen since the mid-20th century, this invaluable volume sheds new light on one of the most controversial and critical periods in history. Published in association with the Asia Society Museum Exhibition Schedule: Asia Society Museum (September 5, 2008 - January 4, 2009)

Accompanying the first U.S. museum exhibition devoted to contemporary art from Pakistan, this dynamic catalogue provides a groundbreaking look at recent and current trends in Pakistani art. Hanging Fire covers a fascinating range of subjects and media, from installation and video art to sculpture, drawing, and paintings in the "contemporary miniature" tradition. Essays by distinguished contributors from a variety of fields, including Salima Hashmi, Pakistani-American sociologist and historian Ayesha Jalal, and the celebrated novelist Mohsin Hamid, place contemporary Pakistani art in a cultural, historical, and artistic perspective. The book's title, Hanging Fire, alludes to the contemporary economic, political, and social tensions--both local and global--from which these artists find their creative inspiration. It may also suggest to the viewer to delay judgment, particularly based on assumptions or preconceived notions about contemporary society and artistic expression in Pakistan today. Distributed for the Asia Society Museum Exhibition Schedule: Asia Society and Museum (9/10/09 - 1/3/10)