Edited collection explores Asian art

Photo provided to China Daily

According to Armstrong, the event will feature three regions in total. Aside from south and southeast Asia, it will also mount works from Latin America and the Middle East with North Africa. It aims to be an exchange between peers.

"We're a greedy museum: We believe in acquisitions. While we're adding to our permanent collection, at the crux we are an educational enterprise. We believe in the full exchange of educators in Hong Kong and the region, and it was important that educators were incorporated into the discourse from early on," Armstrong says.

"It is called MAP since we set out to chart artistic traditions from places previously under-represented," says Yoon Chi-won, CEO with UBS Asia Pacific, the exhibition's title sponsor. "With 35,000 pieces, UBS' art collection is one of the most important in the world. We are committed to supporting artists globally and regularly loan out art to museums for the enjoyment of a wider public. We believe that a thriving art scene reflects a thriving society."

Held in the atmospheric Asia Society Gallery, a granite structure built in 1868, the multimedia exhibition includes works by 13 artists for a total of 18 pieces.

Bangladesh artist Tayeba Begum Lipi explores the political and gender-specific violence through her stainless steel installation Love Bed. She gives the marital symbol of warmth and rest a twist with her stainless steel mattress of razor blades.

Malaysian artist Vincent Leong's Keeping Up with the Abdullahs (1 and 2) shows two family portraits that depict families from ethnic groups in his home country. Though dressed in traditional Islamic attire, the portraits' compositions recall early 19th century Malay sultans.

Vietnamese artist Truong Tan's What Do We Want is a crucified nude male styled in the form of Vietnamese female easel paintings, and alludes to how Vietnamese citizens are still bound by the country's conservatism.

"South and southeast Asia is the cradle of so many cultures," says June Yap. "The region is marked by colonization and intervention. Artists go beyond the borders that define the region today by emphasizing its spiritual and moral aspects, and how they shaped communities. Their art is a re-evaluation of the past while considering opportunities for the present and how to transcend contemporary boundaries."

IF YOU GO:

No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia

10 am-5 pm, until Feb 16.

Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty.

852-2103-9511.