A the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, RED HOT — Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection , is a sweeping overview of the spectacular rise of Asian contemporary art over the past decade. It introduces a series of exhibitions and gallery installations that the museum is devoting to Asian art over the next several years and provides Houston with its first major look at contemporary art from the region.
An international phenomenon, literally "red hot" in its energy and rapid development, Asian art has redefined the parameters of today´s contemporary art scene. Drawn from the extraordinary holdings of Houston collectors Robert, Jereann, and Holland Chaney, many of the works have not been seen outside of their home countries. The exhibition runs through October 21, 2007 and is installed in the museum´s premier Brown Foundation Galleries of the Audrey Jones Beck Building. The exhibition will also spill into public spaces around the museum campus.
Robert and Jereann Chaney, along with their daughter, Holland, have assembled one of this country´s foremost collections of the art and technology of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Among the collection´s strengths is its generous representation of today´s pre-eminent Asian artists. This body of over 120 works and 66 artists reflects the powerful economic shifts and deep social changes that have impacted a rapidly growing class of young artists, making the nations of East Asia leaders in new contemporary art. With a commitment to the cutting-edge, the Chaney Family Collection embraces this radical and exuberant flowering in painting, sculpture, photography, video, and digital media.
RED HOT — Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection offers Texas its first survey of the major currents coming out of the new art centers in Tokyo, Japan; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Seoul, South Korea; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as well as responses from America and Europe. The exhibition focuses on artists who emerged after the political and economic upheavals of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many artists of this generation were forced to find new homes abroad, and the exhibition also traces how recent waves of migration have contributed to the globalization of Asian culture.
Dr. Peter C. Marzio, director of the MFAH, commented, "These works of art have been culled from Pop cultures, politics, societal change, and technology in fascinating ways, and challenge us to regard the world afresh. They range from an unqualified optimism to a dystopian realism, expanding our visual vocabulary into the new century."
In response, Robert Chaney stated, "As major collectors of new contemporary art, we are constantly exposed to opportunities from around the world. However, we always focus our attention on the most fresh and innovative art movements we see, and Asia has clearly been the most important over the last few years. This trend should only accelerate in the future. We are truly impressed with the vision of Peter Marzio and the MFAH staff. Their innovative thinking and commitment to Asian contemporary art sets a new standard."
The exhibition opens with examples of new sculpture from China, including works by Chen Wenling, the Luo Brothers, and Sui Jianguo. This segment of the installation is complemented by a selection of other Chinese artists who have embraced Pop aesthetics, including Feng Zhengjie, Wang Guangyi, and Zhao Bo. Japanese Pop is introduced by Takashi Murakami´s Tongari-kun (Mr. Pointy) Costume, along with examples by Chiho Aoshima, Chinatsu Ban, Yoshitomo Nara, and Yumi Karasumaru among others.
Various strategies in portraiture are represented in the work of Yang Shaobin, Yue Minjun, Fang Lijun, and Zhang Huan, while the new urban landscape is the chief theme of such artists as Miao Xiaochun, Weng Fen, and Zhang Dali. Additionally, major installations by Korea´s Do-Ho Suh dominate two galleries, and works by such artists as Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and Dinh Q. Le address the darker chapters of recent history. Asian American artists represented include Glenn Kaino, Nikki Lee, and Jean Shin, among others.
Alison de Lima Greene, MFAH curator of contemporary art and special projects, is coordinating curator for the exhibition. "The Chaneys have achieved a remarkable feat," she said. "Their ambition, genuine curiosity, and ready understanding of new concepts and means of expression consistently animate their collection. Rather than confirming received ideas, the Chaneys´ collection of Asian contemporary art offers an innovative and complex world view." -- www.mfah.org
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