ArtAsiaPacific

ArtAsiaPacific is the longest running English-language periodical solely dedicated to covering contemporary art and culture from Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East. It is published five times a year along with an annual almanac edition that recounts the past year in Asian and Pacific art, and is distributed internationally. A typical issue will include news events in Asian contemporary art, i.e. major auction results, museum openings, appointments, awards, and obituaries, along with profiles of up-and-coming artists, gossip (in the "Whispering Gallery" section), feature articles on important artists, themes, or events, and reviews of exhibitions, films, and books. The current incarnation of the magazine also includes a "Where I Work" series of articles where an artist describes their studio or workspace, and a "Projects in the Making" series where artists will preview works-in-progress.

History

The magazine first launched as Art and Asia Pacific in June 1993 in Australia. Published quarterly, it began more as an academic journal than a standard consumer magazine and each issue would focus on a different country or theme; a tradition that is continued in the magazine's current incarnation - albeit in a much looser fashion. While the first issue was published by Janet Gough, it was then published and edited by Dynah Dysart/Fine Art Press Pty Limited, Sydney until October 2003 and was then purchased by Gang Zhao and Wendy Siegelman and moved to New York.

In the fall of 2004 Elaine Ng took over as editor-in-chief, and eventually purchased and co-published the magazine along with author Simon Winchester in March 2005, effectively re-launching it under the slogan "Today's Art From Tomorrow's World". This marked a dramatic movement in the magazine's design and focus, shifting from its original small size to a standard magazine format while also changing the style of the articles to both a more journalistic and reader-friendly tone than the previous academic content. In February 2006 the first almanac edition of the magazine was released with the goal of covering the past year in Asian art and culture along with profiles and informational listings of each of the sixty-seven countries covered by the magazine.

As of January 2007, Elaine Ng is the sole publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazine. Formerly, produced in an office in the gallery district of Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, the magazine moved production to Hong Kong in 2011.

Scope of coverage

ArtAsiaPacific currently covers modern and contemporary art, film, fashion, design, and architectural artists and happenings within the sixty-seven countries, territories, and Chinese Special Administrative Regions that it considers to be within Asia and the Pacific, essentially based on those countries traditionally considered "The Orient" by Western civilization.

These countries are: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Fiji, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea (North), Korea (South), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, The Maldives, The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, The Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, the Palestinian territories, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, Singapore, The Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, The United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Yemen.

The magazine also covers notable art events by ethnically Hawaiian artists, events held throughout the rest of the world involving Asian art, and works by artists that are of Asian descent.

List of notable contributors

A number of important figures within the contemporary art world have contributed to ArtAsiaPacific, including:

• Takashi Murakami - Japanese artist, founder of Kaikai Kiki
• Rirkrit Tiravanija - Thai artist and director
• Cai Guo-Qiang - Chinese artist best known for his work in gunpowder
• Christopher Doyle - Australian born, Hong Kong-based cinematographer
• Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky - American DJ, music producer, artist
• Uli Sigg - Former Swiss ambassador to China, noted collector and curator of Chinese contemporary art
• Barbara London - Video and Media Curator, New York Museum of Modern Art
• Hou Hanru - Curator of the 2007 Istanbul Biennial
• Ranjit Hoskote - Indian cultural theorist, poet and curator
• Jack Persekian - Curator of the 7th Sharjah Biennial
• Arto Lindsay - American musician and artist
• Baiju Parthan - Indian painter
• Michael Shaowanasai - Thai artist and actor
• Fumio Nanjo - Artistic Director, 2006 Singapore Biennial; Director of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
• Alexandra Munroe - First Senior Curator of Asian Art, Guggenheim Museum
• Nancy Adajania - Indian cultural theorist, art critic and curator

Notable cover appearances

Each issue of ArtAsiaPacific features work by a different artist, designer, or architect. Many of these featured artists have had their work appear on an ArtAsiaPacific cover long before they achieved wider international recognition, including:

• Zhang Xiaogang - Chinese painter, creator of renowned "Bloodlines" series (Vol. 3 No. 1, 1996)
• Atul Dodiya - Noted Indian painter (No. 33)
• Ai Weiwei - Chinese sculptor, performance artist, curator and architect; co-designer of the Beijing National Stadium (No. 40, Spring 2004)

External links

• ArtAsiaPacific's official website