Kaleidoscope Asia #2

Arthub is pleased to announce the release of the second issue of KALEIDOSCOPE ASIA, the biannual and bilingual (Chinese/English) sibling edition of KALEIDOSCOPE dedicated to contemporary art and culture from the Asia Pacific region. The magazine is launched in partnership with Arthub and sponsored by Value Retail.

KALEIDOSCOPE ASIA’s inaugural issue was presented in January with events in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Now, with a new and exciting line up of contents, we’re looking forward to a busy Fall/Winter season. This issue’s promotional tour hit Shanghai this month as a media partner of Art in the City and Westbund Art & Design; and then Beijing during Beijing Design Week, where we are presenting a viral poster project in collaboration with cover artist Yu Honglei. Throughout the season, KALEIDOSCOPE ASIA will be presented at regional events and art fairs, including Jakarta Biennale, Art Taipei and Art Stage Singapore, as well as internationally at Frieze London, FIAC Paris and Art Basel Miami Beach among others.

In the opening section of HIGHLIGHTS, twelve profiles of as many artists and stories from throughout Asia account for the best of the season: Yan Xing (by Binghao Wong), Lin Ke (by Davide Quadrio), Samson Young (by Ingrid Chu), Tromarama (by Melanie Pocock), Ami Lien & Enzo Camacho (by Sam Korman), Ha Chonghyun (by Alan Miller), Aki Sasamoto (by Mathieu Copeland), BenWu Studio (By Beatrice Leanza), Sàn Art (by Vera Mey), Liu Wei (by Katie Hill), Huang Po-Chih (by Ying Tan) and Zhang Ding (by Sam Gaskin).

To follow, our signature MAIN THEME section investigates the notion of beauty in contemporary Asian art and visual culture—from the manicure industry to the manga world, from flower design to cinematic fantasy, from representational archetypes to progressive extremes. The survey is composed of two essays and five case studies, including: The Beauty Complex (by Venus Lau), Lee Bul (by Khairuddin Hori), Issey Miyake / Irving Penn (by Trey Taylor); Yanyan Huang (by Samantha Culp), Beauty in Motion (by Mi You), Wong Kar Wai (by Yung Ma) and Makoto Azuma (by Cristina Travaglini).

On the other hand, this issue’s MONO section is dedicated to Xu Zhen, a Chinese artist, curator and the CEO of MadeIn Company, whose method of practice is the overlay of business and art—conducted with confidence, suspicion of idealism, and a fascination with taboo. This definitive monographic survey comprises an essay by Xiaowen Zhu, an interview by Davide Quadrio and original portraits by Ann Woo.

Later on, the VISIONS section invites the eye to an enthralling journey across almost 100 pages of visual contributions by artists, curators and image-makers, including Firenze Lai, Yu Honglei, Pablo Bartholomew, Preliminary Research Office, Lieko Shiga, Ashley Bickerton, Tanat Teeradakorn and Wu Tsang.

Lastly, the closing section of REGULARS features our insightful columns on the past, present and future of art and culture: Producers features Carson Chan’s conversation with M+ curator Aric Chen; in Futura 89+, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets interview young Singaporean artist Zou Zhao; Sidd Perez unveils Manila’s art scene as part of the Panorama series; in Pioneers, Mika Yoshitake looks back at the art of Japanese artist Nobuo Sekine; Renaissance Man Jeffrey Deitch advocates for free photography; and William Zhao delves into the local Ecosystem by talking to art patron Adrian Cheng. Enjoy!

And stay tuned for KALEIDOSCOPE’S new online platform and social media, launching in October.