Dragon medallion, China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 16th century, silk and metallic thread tapestry (kesi), overall: 15 x 15 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm); Fletcher Fund, 1936 (36.65.33), The Metropolitan Museum of Art
In addition to all the wonderful gallery shows and auction house viewings, start planning your Asia Week schedule with this highlighted list of Asian art museum exhibitions on view in New York City and surrounding areas. Many will have opening receptions or related programs that are also listed on our Online Calendar here.
ASIA SOCIETY MUSEUM
Installation view of David Breashears’s Mount Everest, Main Rongbuk Glacier, Tibet, China, 2007, Asia Society
COAL + ICE
February 13 – August 11, 2024
COAL + ICE is an immersive photography and video exhibition that brings together the work of more than 37 photographers and artists from China and around the world, and traces a photographic arc from deep within coal mines to the melting glaciers of the greater Himalaya, and across the globe where rising sea levels and extreme weather events are wreaking havoc. The exhibition brings to life the environmental and human costs of climate change, while also highlighting the innovative solutions that provide hope for a more sustainable future.
BROOKLYN MUSEUM
Kondō Takahiro (Japanese, born 1958), Reflection: TK Self Portrait, 2010., glazed porcelain, 19 1/16 × 6 3/16 in. (48.5 × 15.7 cm); Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection, © Kondō Takahiro. (Photo: Richard P. Goodbody and John Morgan), Brooklyn Museum
Museum Spotlight: Porcelains in the Mist: The Kondō Family of Ceramicists
December 8, 2023 – December 8, 2024
Porcelains in the Mist brings together sixty-one pieces that celebrate the Kondō family’s innovations and talents. Their early creations range from freehand-painted vases to pure-white jars. Most of the works on view are by Takahiro, who often pairs his “mist,” which he describes as “water born from fire,” with dramatic shapes and textures. Several of these powerful porcelains reflect his personal responses to monumental events, particularly the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
Suneil Sanzgiri: Here the Earth Grows Gold
October 27, 2023 – May 5, 2024
How do we live through and narrate moments of revolution and revolt, and how do we understand these experiences across time and distance? Using imaging technologies to meditate on what it means to witness from afar, Suneil Sanzgiri explores the complexities of anti-colonialism, nationalism, and diasporic identity through his video and sculptural works.
CHINA INSTITUTE GALLERY
Yang Yongliang, Glows in the Arctic, 2022, two channel 4K video, China Institute
Shan Shui Reboot: Re-envisioning Landscape for a Changing World
March 7 – July 7, 2024
China Institute’s Spring exhibition highlights a new generation of artists who are reinterpreting traditional Chinese landscape painting in the context of today’s global social issues and climate crisis. Featuring the recent work of seven established and emerging artists including Lam Tung Pang, Yi Xin Tong, Kelly Wang, Peng Wei, Fu Xiaotong, Yang Yongliang, and Ni Youyu, many of the exhibit’s more than 40 works are being shown in New York for the first time. Related programs include an artist talk and Asia Week open house weekend on March 21st., lecture and tour of the exhibit. For full details, click here.
JAPAN SOCIETY GALLERY
Yamaoka Tesshu (1836–1888), Talismanic Dragon, Edo Period (1615-1867 A.D.), hanging scroll(s), ink on paper, 44.5 x 60.3 cm, Japan Society Gallery
None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection
March 8 – June 16, 2024
This exhibit explores the origins of Zen Buddhism through over four centuries of ink paintings and calligraphies by painter-monks, who expressed Zen Buddhist teachings through their art, including the celebrated Buddhist master Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768). It advances Japan Society Gallery’s history of presenting important Buddhist artworks and concepts, including from the 2007 and 2010 exhibitions.
KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER
John Pai: Eternal Moment
March 6 – April 18, 2024
This historic retrospective celebrates John Pai’s legacy as a seminal figure in the tapestry of Korean arts in New York City and the world. His life and works reflect the enduring spirit of innovation, artistry, and the rich narrative of Korean history. Included in this landmark show are excerpts from the artist’s oral history with historian Leyla Vural conducted in the summer of 2021, and the unveiling of an intimate cinematic portrait of the artist, commissioned by the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY). There will be an opening reception held on March 6th from 6-8pm.
THE KOREA SOCIETY
Jian Yoo | Iridescent Hue
January 25 – April 18, 2024
Working in the precise and fine medium of nacre lacquer inlay – jagae in Korean – Jian Yoo’s iridescent art bridges historical and contemporary, nature and artificial, arts and crafts. Made of thousands of mother-of-pearl pieces layered in intricate patterns, Yoo’s art respectfully acknowledges the long tradition of master craft workers while reinventing the genre with distinctively modern sensibilities. An opening reception will be held on March 14th from 5-7pm.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
An Elephant and Keeper, India, Mughal, ca. 1650–60, opaque color and gold on paper; Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022 (2022.187), The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Indian Skies: The Howard Hodgkin Collection of Indian Court Painting
February 6 – June 9, 2024
This exhibition presents over 120 works from the private collection of the British artist Howard Hodgkin. Over the course of sixty years, Hodgkin formed a collection of Indian paintings and drawings that is recognized as one of the finest of its kind including pieces from the Mughal, Deccani, Rajput, and Pahari courts dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Vision and Verse: The Poetry of Chinese Painting
Through June 16, 2024
This exhibition explores some of the ways in which Chinese painters engaged with poetry to build connections and develop layers of meaning in their art. Featuring 90 works drawn almost entirely from The Met’s collection, the exhibition presents a selection of painting, calligraphy, and decorative arts.
Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art
April 8, 2023 – July 14, 2024
Drawn largely from The Met’s renowned collection of Japanese art, this exhibition explores the twin themes of anxiety and hope, with a focus on the human stories in and around art and art making. The exhibition begins with sacred images from early Japan and ends with a selection of modern woodblock prints, garments, and photographs.
Lineages: Korean Art at The Met
November 7, 2023 – October 20, 2024
In celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Met’s Arts of Korea gallery, this exhibit showcases highlights of the Museum’s collection paired with important international loans of Korean modern and contemporary art. Featuring thirty objects, this exhibition fosters a dialogue of ideas that have resonated across time and bound artists together.
Celebrating the Year of the Dragon
February 3, 2023 – 2025
To celebrate this Lunar New Year of the Dragon, this exhibition assembles a remarkable selection of more than twenty works from the Museum’s permanent collection that depict this imaginary animal in various media, including ceramic, jade, lacquer, metalwork, and textile. Together they illustrate the significant role that the dragon plays as a symbol of imperial authority, a dynamic force to dispel evil influences, and a benevolent deity that brings auspicious rain to all life on earth.
Ganesha: Lord of New Beginnings
November 19, 2022 – June 15, 2025
Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is a Brahmanical (Hindu) diety known to clear a path to the gods and remove obstacles in everyday life. The 7th to 21st century works in this exhibition trace his depiction across the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Featuring 24 works across sculptures, paintings, musical instruments, ritual implements, and photography, the exhibition emphasizes the vitality and exuberance of Ganesha as the bringer of new beginnings.
A Passion for Jade: The Bishop Collection
July 2, 2022 – January 4, 2026
More than a hundred remarkable objects from the Heber Bishop collection, including carvings of jade, the most esteemed stone in China, and many other hardstones, are on view in this focused presentation. Also on view are a set of Chinese stone-working tools and illustrations of jade workshops, which introduces the traditional method of working jade.
Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300-1900
July 2, 2022 – January 4, 2026
Enamel decoration is a significant element of Chinese decorative arts that has long been overlooked. This exhibition reveals the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievement of Chinese enamel wares by demonstrating the transformative role of enamel during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The more than 100 objects on view are drawn mainly from The Met collection.
Samurai Splendor: Sword Fittings from Edo Japan
March 21, 2022 – Ongoing
This installation explores the luxurious aspects of Edo-period sword fashion, a fascinating form of arms and armor rarely featured in exhibitions outside Japan. It presents a selection of exquisite sword mountings, fittings, and related objects, including maker’s sketchbooks—all drawn from The Met collection and many rarely or never exhibited before.
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
Artist/maker Unknown, Simurgh Attacking a Gaja-Simha Carrying Elephants, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Mawar Region, India, Asia, early 19th century, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 12 5/8 x 9 in. (32.1 x 22.9 cm), Philadelphia Museum of Art
Mythical Creatures: China and the World
December 21, 2023 – June 1, 2025
This exhibition explores the theme of diversity by bringing together mythical creatures from China as well as across Asia and Europe. Representations of paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and contemporary toy bricks, dating from the 1000s to today illustrate how these fantastical beasts, although sometimes perceived as the same, are quite different.
Collecting Japanese Art in Philadelphia
Ongoing
The 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia was the first world’s fair held in the United States and also the beginning of Japanese art collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Over nearly 150 years that followed, the museum’s Japanese art collection expanded and diversified. The selection in this installation—ranging from ceramics, metalwork, painting, lacquerware, to contemporary bamboo art—showcase the breadth of Japanese art, and also spotlight the people—collectors, donors, curators—who were instrumental in shaping the collection.
RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
Meena Kayastha, Goddess Varahi, 2023, traditional Nepali door, papier-mache, pliers, nails, coins, keys, jewelry, bell, discarded vehicle metal parts, 58 x 28 x 9 in.; photo courtesy of Meena Kayastha, Bhaktapur, Nepal; Roshan Pradhan, New World, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 183 x 152.5 cm; photo courtesy of Sangeeta Thapa, Founder Director Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal; Shushank Shrestha, Male Guardian Lion Dog (one of a pair from Two Guardian Lion Dogs), 2023, ceramic, in glaze lustre; 52 × 27 × 44 in.; photo courtesy of Shuhank Shrestha, Massachusetts, USA, Rubin Museum of Art
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now
March 15 – October 6, 2024
On the occasion of the Rubin’s 20th anniversary, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now transforms the entire Museum with new commissions, some site-specific, and existing works juxtaposed with objects from the Museum’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. Through a wide range of media, the artists explore their personal and collective histories and call attention to themes such as the fluidity of identity, spiritual practices, sense of belonging, grief, memory, and reclamation. There will be an opening reception on March 15 from 6-10pm as well as free admission throughout the weekend of March 16-17.
Gateway to Himalayan Art
June 11, 2021 – October 6, 2024
Gateway to Himalayan Art introduces viewers to the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art represented in the Rubin Museum collection. It is organized and presented in thematic sections: Figures and Symbols, Materials and Techniques, and Purpose and Function.
The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
October 11, 2019 – October 6, 2024
Since it first opened, the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room has been one of the most popular installations at the Rubin Museum, providing an immersive experience inspired by a traditional shrine. Art and ritual objects are displayed as they would in an elaborate private household shrine, a space used for offerings, devotional prayer, rituals, and contemplation.
Masterworks: A Journey Through Himalayan Art
January 29, 2021 – October 6, 2024
This regularly changing exhibition at the Rubin explores major strands in the development of Himalayan art, covering a period of over one thousand years and featuring objects drawn primarily from the Rubin Museum’s collection.
CHARLES B. WANG CENTER AT STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
John W. Winkler, Busy Street in Chinatown (1915), etching, 6 x 7.5 inches, Courtesy of the Rivolo Collection
John W. Winkler: The Chinatown Etchings
March 1 – May 19, 2024
John W. Winkler: The Chinatown Etchings explores forgotten scenes of San Francisco’s Chinatown from 1916 to 1923. Through John W. Winkler’s exceptional etchings, the exhibition unveils a crucial chapter in early Chinese immigration history in the United States. Featuring 81 evocative etchings, the exhibition serves as a visual time capsule, capturing the essence of daily life in the heart of an early twentieth-century Chinatown. Related programs include an opening reception, lecture and tour of the exhibit during Asia Week. For full details, click here.
