KOREA FOUNDATION

COVER STORY

Art as Experience
By Hong Kyung-han Art Critic

To Koreans, whose exposure to art history is heavily focused on the West—namely, Europe and the United States—art by countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is rather unfamiliar. Southeast Asian art has a sensitivity that is not found in Western art and varies slightly per country but is generally characterized by an identity that is common to the ASEAN region.
The foundation of Southeast Asian art is two-fold: Buddhist art and Hindu art. It was assimilated into the Indian cultural sphere at the start of the Common Era, resulting in an undeniable Indian influence in its art. After the dawn of modernity, Southeast Asian art took on a distinctive hybridity: the merging of indigenous cultures with that of the reigning colonial powers (Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United States, etc.) resulted in a unique artistic realm.
Rooted in such geographical and historical circumstances, contemporary Southeast Asian art includes what is referred to as “art as experience”—an amalgam of the pain of colonialism and civil war, faith in and resistance for democratization amidst an unstable sociopolitical environment, and the desire to be financially independent. The countries that are at the forefront of today’s contemporary Southeast Asian art scene are Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand and Malaysia. In fact, art produced by ASEAN countries is consistently being noted at auctions, biennales, museums and art galleries, captivating both art experts and collectors.
In fact, art produced by ASEAN countries is consistently being noted at auctions, biennales, museums and art galleries, captivating both art experts and collectors. Based on passion alone, it is no exaggeration to say that Southeast Asia is the epicenter of the art of the future.

A Vietnamese artist Bui Cong Khanh Installation View at Homo Faber: Craft in Contemporary Sculpture, Photo by Kim Kyoung-tae, Image Courtesy of Asia Culture Center, Gwangju.