Knickknack Peddler, 2002
chromogenic print, 47.25" x 157.5"
Courtesy of the artist and CourtYard Gallery, Beijing

In recent years, East Asia has become a particularly vital and increasingly influential player in the global economic and political arenas. Concurrently, cultural and artistic innovations from this geographic area, though still new to many Western audiences, are a recognized force with the international art scene. Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia brings together the work of twenty-two established and emerging artists and artists' groups from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, and provides a rich overview of the innovative and remarkable work coming out of this region.

The exhibition's premise is borrowed from a common practice shared by the artists – namely, using the past to map the future. Ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties, and working with both traditional materials and new technologies, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, and digital media, the artists in Past in Reverse represent the region's tremendous contemporary import and deep cultural complexity.

Participating artists include: Ryoko Aoki, Yiso Bahc, Cai Guo-Qiang, Cao Fei, Flyingcity Urbanism Research Group, Hiroshi Fuji, G8 Public Relations and Art Consultation Corporation, Hung Yi, Hee-Jeong Jang, Soun-Gui Kim, Kim Young Jin, Leung Mee Ping, Michael Lin, Mitsushima Takayuki, Shao Yinong and Muchen, Wilson Shieh, Tadasu Takamine, Wang Jianwei, Wang Qinsong, Yang Fudong, Yangjiang Calligraphy Group, and Shizuka Yokomizo.

This exhibition was organized by the San Diego Museum of Art with major support provided by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Its presentation at DePauw has been generously funded by Richard D. and Barbara Dixon Harrison, Friend, '56.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Thursday, October 26, 4:00 pm
Gallery talk by Betti-Sue Hertz, Curator of Contemporary Art, San Diego Museum of Art

For more information about special events associated with this exhibition, please call the gallery information line at 765.658.4336