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Asian Art Contemporary Presents Group Exhibition: Time Lag
Poster credit: Asian Art Contemporary Time Lag indicates the interval between one arrival and the not yet arrival of the next. It is a common calculation among the travelers, especially those crossing borders, literal and metaphorical; the expected synchronization that never fully arrives. It is not simply a depiction of “in-betweenness,” nor is it emphasis of difference. It reflects a quasi-arrival yet a keen desire for complete transition, colliding with the ambiguity and disorientation derived from a partial absence.
The exhibition, Time Lag, traces three stages of this longing: the liminality between dreams and reality, between collective memory and individual diasporic narrative, and between the rationality and chaos.
Dream and Reality: From The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean, where a poor rural boy trades his only cow for a handful of magic beans that grow into a beanstalk reaching the clouds, to Sigrid Qian’s thorned stalk canvases, in which goose-yellow yet mysterious forms stretch toward interstellar space. In essence, this section opens a threshold between fantasy and materiality. The works resonate with the sensation of an arrived reality shadowed by vague delusions that repeatedly surface in the subconscious. Surreal imagery and fragmented narratives challenge our understanding of what it means to arrive.
Collective Memory and Individual Narrative: The artists in this section present aspirations and struggles embedded in transitional phases of cultural hybridity. Rooted in the Asian art diaspora, the exhibition carries forward narratives shaped by collective memory and mother tongue yet refracted through individual experience. Jennifer Ling Datchuk’s video work presents the crucial and provocative process through which society “tames” the gendered body, symbolized by the saddle-like braided hair. In Yezi Lou’s canvases, gazes turn back toward lived experience and childhood imagery—Pokémon and Ultraman—now estranged and alienated. Hannah Bang’s performance also reveals the presence of creativity within her embodied experience as she navigates new environments and communities. What remains is an embodied sensation of displacement, a condition in which, like many in the Asian diaspora, is persistently regarded as the perpetual foreigner.
Rationality and Chaos: Time Lag also moves beyond temporal transition to examine spatial perception. Material and geometric objects exist within rational space, yet perceived space becomes unstable and disordered. Through works by Shuai Xu, moments of geometric clarity coexist with fragmented installations, reflecting a world that oscillates between order and disorientation.
The exhibition begins at Sasse Museum, yet its inquiry extends far beyond the site. It invites viewers to look back at the transitions unfolding in the present, between arrival and absence.
Text by Huixian Dong, Ph.D.
Exhibition Dates
March 4 – 31, 2026Venue
300 South Thomas Street, Pomona, CA 91766Curator
Huixian Dong, Ph.D.Artists
Hannah Bang, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Yezi Lou, Sigrid Qian, Shuai XuCuratorial Assistant
Xinyue Zhang, Jianing LuProducer
Webson JiGallery Hours
Friday – Sunday | 1 PM – 4 PMSupport
Asian Artists Center, Sasse Museum of ArtWebsite
https://asianartcontemporary.comInstagram
https://www.instagram.com/asianartcontemporaryContact
info@asianartcontemporary.comFurther read
(Text and images courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
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Asian Art in Focus: Asian Art Contemporary at HIAF 2025
From November 14–16, 2025 (Beijing), Horizon International Art Fair—presented by Art Horizon Co., Ltd. at MGM Shanghai West Bund—introduced its inaugural hotel-based edition under the theme “Art for Everyone, Everywhere.” Rooted in the belief that art should extend beyond gallery walls and into the rhythms of daily life, HIAF 2025 positioned itself not merely as an art fair but as an innovative, shared artistic experience. The fair brought together 37 galleries and institutions from China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond, along with more than 300 artists ranging from emerging creatives and cross-disciplinary performers to internationally recognized figures. Lived-in hotel spaces were transformed into intimate, immersive environments for artistic dialogue.
The everyday setting of the hotel offered a flexible platform for visual conversations around identity, emotion, and creative freedom—dialogues that transcended generations and national borders. Guest rooms, lounges, and corridors became exhibition sites where visitors did not simply view art but stayed with it, conversed with it, experienced it, and ultimately coexisted with it in a symbiotic way.
Asian Art Contemporary was honored to participate in HIAF as an exhibitor at Booth 51F B05, presenting a curated selection of works by three artists: Jingyi Wang, Apollo Wang, and ZiPu.
Jingyi Wang explores the delicate coexistence between fragility and sharpness. She channels the cactus—its resilience and solitude—as a vessel for expressing emotion and personal perspective. In Greenana, a cactus quietly hides beneath soft, expansive banana leaves. Although seemingly out of place in the humid tropics, it stubbornly continues to grow, much like how people conceal their anxieties beneath the gentleness of daily routines.
In Kaleidoscopic Light, the cactus stands amid the fleeting brilliance of a concert—intersecting beams of light, floating ribbons and confetti, and an atmosphere where music and emotion pulse together. Wang maintains a realist mode of thinking while integrating surrealist techniques, exploring the tension between the subconscious and the real world and seeking spiritual solace amid the pressures of contemporary life.
Apollo Wang’s works are grounded in contemplations and metaphors drawn from an Eastern visual lexicon. Mystery, symbolism, prophecy, and divination permeate his compositions, hinting at an unseen “cosmic order.” Engaging with traditional philosophical inquiry, Wang seeks to uncover an indigenous conception of life and destiny—tracing the subtle cultural codes embedded within it.
His series Rules points to the invisible principles underlying the proliferation of life. Across four works, Wang presents slices of life-forms at different moments in time and space: from their earliest sprouting, to increasing structural complexity, to the expansion of spatial presence, and finally to the emergence of a complete living system. The series attempts to capture the elusive moment of becoming—when energy turns into matter, when simplicity evolves into complexity, and when the one unfolds into the many. Between deconstruction and reconfiguration, between order and chaos, Rules reveals the essence of life’s continuous propagation: an unceasing cycle that follows its own inherent laws across boundless time and space.
ZiPu’s Raw Image Era series reflects the artist’s deep inquiry into traditional painting mediums within the context of the digital age. In today’s visual environment saturated with digital imagery, “raw image” carries a dual meaning: it refers both to the unprocessed image file in digital photography and to the “primal” visual form created through the intersection of digital and traditional media. By reorganizing natural objects, digital tools, and traditional painting methods, ZiPu constructs a unique visual archaeology that reveals how technology shapes our perception of the world.
This series investigates how natural objects are represented in digital media, and how technological frameworks reshape—and often redefine—our understanding of nature.
Horizon International Art Fair was not only an exhibition but also a practice that advanced the deep integration of art and everyday life. By using the hotel as an exhibition site, the fair created an intimate and authentic environment for artistic dialogue. The works presented were not merely displayed—they were heard. Visitors encountered art face-to-face in the most lived-in of settings, experiencing the flow of creative energy in a space that felt personal and real.
(Text by Zhenglin Zhang, Courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
Further read:
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Crossing Cities, Cultures, and Media: HIAF 2025 Shapes the Future Horizon of Asian Art
From November 14 to 16, 2025, the Horizon International Art Fair (HIAF 2025) officially opened at the MGM Shanghai West Bund Hotel. As a major highlight of Shanghai’s annual art season, HIAF appeared alongside ART021 and West Bund Art & Design, bringing a cross-cultural, multimedia, and interdisciplinary contemporary art platform to the public during the city’s most vibrant art month. Located on the 51st and 52nd floors of the MGM Shanghai West Bund Hotel (688 Yunjin Road), the fair utilizes the hotel’s private rooms, elevated city views, and flexible spatial layouts to create an immersive viewing experience that bridges everyday life and professional exhibition formats.
As the organizer, Art Horizon positions HIAF 2025 as a “platform where creativity and inspiration transcend borders and artistic categories.” In a globalized context, the fair emphasizes the visibility and discursive agency of Asian art within the international landscape. By inviting galleries, artists, and curatorial teams from China, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Russia, France, and beyond, HIAF cultivates an art ecology that balances regional diversity with conceptual depth.
The fair presents painting, sculpture, installation, works on paper, moving image, light-based experiments, and cross-media projects—showcasing the latest structural, formal, and conceptual trends in contemporary Asian art. At the same time, HIAF places particular emphasis on emerging voices, supporting young institutions, independent platforms, and interdisciplinary creators as a key part of its curatorial vision, bringing developing artistic languages to international audiences, professionals, and collectors.
The gallery lineup at this year’s HIAF spans two floors, forming a diverse international constellation: from WAS Gallery, AG Gallery, and K.M. ART LAB—each deeply rooted in the Korean art ecosystem—to Crazy Lab, known for its cross-media toy aesthetics; from EBI ART, which focuses on visual texture and subtle narrative, to New York–based Asian Art Contemporary, dedicated to contemporary Asian art discourse; and to LUMINATORS, which explores the structures of light and shadow. Together, they embody the fair’s most representative spirit of international vision and experimental energy.
These galleries not only present their own artistic directions but also form the spiritual core of HIAF 2025: a cross-cultural framework for dialogue, the dynamism of emerging artists, innovations in material language, and contemporary visual narratives unfolding within the unique setting of a hotel space.
WAS Gallery
WAS Gallery presents a contemporary perspective that bridges modernity and experimentation across the Asian and international art markets. Founded in Shanghai and deeply engaged with Korean art, the gallery promotes East Asian contemporary art through exhibitions and cross-cultural collaborations. This presentation brings together works by three artists: Kwon Hyuk’s large-scale acrylic paintings evoke symbolic visual force; Ju Tae Seok uses rhythmic color blocks to reflect inner landscapes; and Lee Don Ah employs lenticular prints to weave historical textures with optical imagery. The works collectively construct an integrated portrait of contemporary Korean art from a cross-cultural perspective.
EBI ART
EBI ART, founded in New York and guided by the belief that “everyone is an artist,” showcases restrained yet tactile contemporary aesthetics rooted in nuanced material practices and cross-cultural creativity. Artists such as Masaki Kanamori, Yuki Matsueda, and Mika Shimauchi explore rhythm, perception, and the energy of form through diverse media. Masaki Kanamori’s Wavelength_Resonance 5!_068 series conveys the pulse of light and shape; Yuki Matsueda’s Emergency Exit 400—Shanghai Edition I blends LED, acrylic, and wood into a sculptural urban symbol. Together, the works generate a unified visual rhythm grounded in materiality, tonal subtlety, and contemporary observation.
AG Gallery
Operated by the Ahngook Foundation, AG Gallery serves as a nonprofit platform supporting young Korean artists through open calls, interdisciplinary collaborations, and arts education. This presentation forms a layered visual matrix: Lee Ju Yeon constructs psychological spaces with abstract lines and color fields; Kim Ki Tae blends ink painting with allegorical structures to develop new modes of narrative. The artworks engage emotion, spatial metaphor, and cultural signification, offering an open, diversified, and critically engaged portrait of emerging Korean contemporary art.
Crazy Lab
Crazy Lab—founded by Malaysian artist James Lee (Jimsee)—bridges toy culture and contemporary art through humorous, playful, and pop-inspired visual languages. Featuring coffee as a medium, everyday symbols, and stylized characters, the works express the moods and rhythms of daily life. This cross-disciplinary approach merges design, aesthetics, and art experience, transforming the booth into an accessible and instantly engaging space for audiences.
K.M. ART LAB
Founded by sculptor Kim Gyoung Min, K.M. ART LAB focuses on material experimentation and sculptural methodology. The booth features works by Kim Gyoung Min, Kwon Chi Gyu, Park Chan Girl, Kim Byung Jin, and Lee Sung Ok, who explore metal, resin, and composite materials across various structural vocabularies. Kim Gyoung Min’s fluid, glossy forms extend bodily sensibilities; Park Chan Girl constructs tension through weighty masses and sharp cuts; Kim Byung Jin and Lee Sung Ok express spatial energy through geometric assemblages. Together, the works form a forward-looking sculptural landscape grounded in research, experimentation, and material intelligence.
LUMINATORS
LUMINATORS, a Shanghai-based creative studio, approaches art through light, energy, and material interaction. The presentation features Jessica Fu, Blaise Schwartz, and Wu Ding. Schwartz’s Europe, Snail, Bat depicts symbolic scenes through oil on wood, merging tranquility with cross-cultural imagination. Other works incorporate refracted light, reflective surfaces, and geometric forms to create immersive sensory environments.
Asian Art Contemporary
Asian Art Contemporary, based in New York, highlights international perspectives on emerging Asian art. Through exhibitions, interviews, and curatorial collaborations, the platform advances global dialogue on Asian contemporary practices. The booth features three artists: Apollo Wang, who uses cardstock and markers to examine order in the everyday; Jingyi Wang, who paints emotional projections of nature within urban life; and ZiPu, who reinterprets “raw image” logics through oil on panel. Their works intersect in material, composition, and theme, offering a sharp contemporary lens on visual culture.
HIAF 2025 is not merely an experiment in hotel-based art fairs—it aims to become a bridge for cultural connection across Asia. Set against the global visibility of the Shanghai art season, the fair provides a new international stage for artists and institutions from Korea, China, and throughout Asia, demonstrating how art can open new possibilities within contemporary life.
With the participation of diverse galleries, institutions, and artists, HIAF is shaping a distinct cultural identity—one that stands at the intersection of art, life, and cross-cultural exchange, creating a truly open and dynamic horizon.
Written by: Jianing Lu, Asian Art Contemporary
Images courtesy of Art Horizon
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Horizon International Art Fair 2025 in MGM Shanghai West Bund
“Art for Everyone, Everywhere.” Art should not exist only within designated spaces—it should be integrated into everyone’s everyday life. As the inaugural edition of a hotel-based art fair, HIAF is not merely an art fair; it is a “shared artistic experience.” This exhibition unfolds within a hotel—a space both everyday and intimate—exploring how artworks are no longer confined to the “white-cube gallery,” but instead become part of people’s living environments. HIAF breaks away from the traditional white-box exhibition model, transforming guest rooms, lounges, corridors, and other diverse spaces into stages for artistic presentation. Through this approach, visitors do not merely “view” art—they may stay, converse, experience, and coexist with art in a symbiotic way.
HIAF 2025 will gather 37 galleries and institutions from China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries and regions, alongside more than 300 artists. The exhibition covers a wide range of media, including painting, photography, installation, sculpture, media art, and art toys and collectibles. From emerging creators and cross-disciplinary performers to internationally renowned artists, HIAF presents a dialogue that crosses generations and national boundaries.
HIAF 2025 will present a series of imaginative and highly creative works by young artists, offering audiences one of the most vibrant contemporary art experiences of the fair. As an international art fair dedicated to promoting deep integration between art and everyday life, HIAF consistently focuses on the growth and expression of the new generation of artists. The fair encourages young creators to respond to current social and cultural contexts through their unique perspectives.
For this edition, HIAF has specially established the Emerging Voices section, inviting rising artists from various countries and regions. By using hotel guest rooms as exhibition spaces, the fair constructs a more intimate and authentic environment for artistic dialogue. HIAF believes that every young artist represents the future of contemporary art. Here, their works are not only “displayed”—they are truly heard. In these living-space environments, visitors have the opportunity to encounter art up close and to experience the energy of creation and the flow of inspiration in the most everyday of settings.
Venue
MGM Shanghai West Bund, 51F & 52F, 688 Yunjin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Art Fair Dates
November 14 – 16, 2025
Opening Hours
VIP Preview
November 14 (Fri) — 11:00–13:00Public Viewing
November 14 (Fri) — 13:00–20:00
November 15 (Sat) — 11:00–20:00
November 16 (Sun) — 11:00–20:00Website
https://www.arthorizonfair.com
(Text and images courtesy of HIAF, Text edit: Zhenglin Zhang, Asian Art Contemporary)
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Asian Art Contemporary Presents City Gazes: Artistic Perspectives on Place
Credit: Asian Art Contemporary Cities are more than just physical spaces—they are lived experiences, cultural intersections, and reflections of identity. City Gazes: Artistic Perspectives on Place brings together Asian artists and diaspora voices to explore the ways they perceive, navigate, and interpret the urban and regional landscapes they inhabit. Through diverse artistic practices, the exhibition reveals personal connections to place, offering insights into the cultural, historical, and emotional imprints left by cities on those who call them home.
Presented by Asian Art Contemporary, in collaboration with Kyungsung University and A Space Gallery, this exhibition highlights a range of artistic perspectives that capture the nuances of urban life, from fleeting moments of everyday existence to deeper reflections on memory, displacement, and belonging. Whether through painting, photography, installation, or mixed media, the featured works invite viewers to engage with the ever-evolving relationship between people and place.
Curated by Webson Ji and Ju Hyun Kim, City Gazes will take place across two locations—A Space Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, and Kyungsung University Art Exhibition Hall in Busan, South Korea. The exhibition will run from June 8–14 in New York and June 18–22 in Busan, creating a cross-cultural dialogue that transcends geographical boundaries.
Through the lens of these Asian diaspora artists, we are offered a multiplicity of perspectives—some nostalgic, some critical, some celebratory—all contributing to a collective portrait of cities as more than just landscapes, but as sites of history, transformation, and creative expression.
Presenter
Asian Art Contemporary
Kyungsung University, School of Glocal Cultural Studies
A Space GalleryArtist
Abhishek Tuiwala, Ami Park, Chengtao Yi, Doi Kim, Hee Jeong An, Hyunju Lee, Jinwoo Moon, Jun Ho Kim, Minjung Kim, Mok Ji Soo, Paul Mok, PTPC, Sao Tanaka, Xianglong Li, Xiangni Song
Curator
Webson Ji
Ju Hyun KimDate
June 8 – 14, New York, USA
June 18 – 22, Busan, South KoreaVenue
June 8 – 14, A Space Gallery, 13 Grattan St, #402, Brooklyn, NY, USA
June 18 – 22, Kyungsung University Art Exhibition Hall, Busan, South KoreaExhibition assistant
Ziyi Huang
Visual designer
Rachel Zhu
Contact
Further read
https://asianartcontemporary.com/2025/08/19/city-gazes-dialogues-across-new-york-and-busan/
(Text and images courtesy of Asian Art Contemporary)
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Distant Views and New Narratives: Asian Artists Illuminate Art on Paper 2024
From September 5 to 8, 2024, the Art on Paper Fair at Manhattan’s Pier 36 once again became a hub of creative energy, attracting art enthusiasts and collectors from around the world. Held during New York’s Armory Art Week, this annual fair is celebrated for its focus on contemporary works that explore the boundless potential of paper as a medium. With over 100 galleries participating, the fair presents a vibrant and cutting-edge snapshot of today’s art scene.
Poster credit: Asian Art Contemporary This year, the Metropolitan Art Atelier, in collaboration with Asian Art Contemporary, presented the thoughtfully curated exhibition Distant View of the Blue by New York-based curator Webson Ji. Featuring works by 11 talented artists—including Yi Wu, Sha Lin, Zhen Guo, In Kyoung Chun, Yukiko Nakashima, Guoqiang Liang, Min Park, Isaiah Rivera, Weiling Pan, Kang Xu, and Xue’er Gao—the exhibition underscored a commitment to amplifying the voices of Asian artists within the international art community.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier The exhibition’s conceptual framework was inspired by the experience of looking across the New York harbor, past the city’s concrete and steel skyline, toward a faint blue on the horizon. The ambiguity of this distant view—whether it represents mountains, oceans, or memories of a faraway home—serves as a poignant metaphor for the artists’ explorations of identity, displacement, and self-recognition within the Asian diaspora.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Yi Wu, born in 1934 into a distinguished overseas Chinese family, stands out among the featured artists. As a respected figure in the Nanjing Painting Academy and a trailblazer in Chinese painting, Wu’s work embodies a profound blend of tradition and innovation. His piece Wonder of Kunlun marries decades of ink painting mastery with his groundbreaking concept of “image thinking,” offering viewers a glimpse into his artistic evolution. Meanwhile, Zhen Guo, a pioneering female artist who moved to New York in 1988, showcased her work that reflects her longstanding contributions to the contemporary art landscape, blending personal narrative with broader cultural dialogues.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Sha Lin, an artist whose journey spans from Taiwan to Europe and finally to New York, drew from the philosophy of the I Ching and the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine in his mixed-media masterpiece The Harmony of Yin and Yang. His works resonate with a contemplative depth, inviting viewers to reflect on harmony and duality. Yukiko Nakashima, a Japanese artist born in Hiroshima and raised in the United States, captures suppressed emotions, anxiety, and trauma through her Phonetic Marks series—an exploration of the unspoken and the unspeakable, conveyed through abstract calligraphic forms.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier In Kyoung Chun, a Korean artist now based in Atlanta, explores themes of isolation and resilience in her works House with Two Drawings and House with a Table and a Clock. Her art transforms everyday objects into symbols of sanctuary, encapsulating her immigrant experience. Guoqiang Liang’s mastery of traditional Chinese techniques is matched by his bold reinterpretation of contemporary ink art, blending age-old craftsmanship with modern sensibilities.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Emerging voices also found their platform in this exhibition, with artists like Weiling Pan, Min Park, and Xue’er Gao adding fresh perspectives. Pan, the youngest artist in the exhibition, captured the attention of many with her miniature dioramas that blend illustration and installation, creating intimate spaces that invite viewers to pause and reflect on their own identities.
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Reflecting on the exhibition’s success, curator Webson Ji remarked, “Metropolitan Art Atelier’s booth not only achieved a high level of academic integrity but also addressed the commercial aspects essential to promoting these artists. As one of the few organizations actively supporting Asian artists, they have created a bridge for Western audiences to engage with the richness of Asian art.”
Art fair view, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier Metropolitan Art Atelier co-founders Qingyang Xu and Ming Li (Raymond) expressed their concerns about being the only booth truly representing Asian art at Art on Paper 2024, an international fair featuring over 100 galleries and attracting tens of thousands of visitors and collectors each day. This highlights the need for a broader conversation about increasing diversity in artistic representation. Looking ahead, they hope to see a more substantial presence of Asian art in future exhibitions and anticipate the rise of Asian collectors as an increasingly influential force on the global art stage.
From left to right: Webson Ji, Ming Li (Raymond), Qingyang Xu, Erik Deinstadt, Courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier The partnership between Metropolitan Art Atelier and Asian Art Contemporary in this year’s Art on Paper Fair marks a significant step toward elevating Asian art on the international stage. The exhibition’s impact, both in terms of sales and critical reception, reflects a growing appetite for Asian voices in contemporary art. As the global art community continues to evolve, the challenge—and opportunity—lies in ensuring that these voices are not just heard but celebrated for their depth, complexity, and unique perspectives.
(Text and images courtesy of Metropolitan Art Atelier and Asian Art Contemporary)
