Contemporary Asian American artists––with a strong sense of being American and an acute critical consciousness of world matters––grapple with issues of identity in a way that sets them apart from their predecessors. Whereas many Asian American artists of a previous generation directly referred to an Asian sense of self in their works, it can be argued that younger Asian American artists only sometimes make reference to it or omit it entirely. This creatively designed book focuses on recent works by seventeen Asian American artists born in the late 1960s and 1970s––including Patty Chang, Kaz Oshiro, and Jean Shin––to explore this pivotal generation of artists, the prevalent themes in their art, and the different ways they configure identity in their work. One Way or Another features examples of painting, sculpture, and video and installation art––many previously unpublished––and includes essays that discuss the shifting meaning of Asian America over the last decade and address the issues of mixed heritage and the emergence of an evolving Asian American identity in an increasingly globalized society.

One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

The Asia Society Museum

Accompanying the first U.S. museum exhibition devoted to contemporary art from Pakistan, this dynamic catalogue provides a groundbreaking look at recent and current trends in Pakistani art. Hanging Fire covers a fascinating range of subjects and media, from installation and video art to sculpture, drawing, and paintings in the “contemporary miniature” tradition. Essays by distinguished contributors from a variety of fields, including Salima Hashmi, Pakistani-American sociologist and historian Ayesha Jalal, and the celebrated novelist Mohsin Hamid, place contemporary Pakistani art in a cultural, historical, and artistic perspective.
The book's title, Hanging Fire, alludes to the contemporary economic, political, and social tensions--both local and global--from which these artists find their creative inspiration. It may also suggest to the viewer to delay judgment, particularly based on assumptions or preconceived notions about contemporary society and artistic expression in Pakistan today.

Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan

Hamid, Mohsin

Hashmi, Salima

Reference

Supported by a thriving art market in the Persian Gulf, interest in Iranian modern art has intensified in recent years. Iran Modern offers a timely exploration of the cultural diversity and production of avant-garde art in Iran after World War II and up to the revolution—from 1950 through 1979. Generously illustrated, this volume provides a new understanding of global interconnectedness not yet addressed in art historical accounts. Ten essays by distinguished scholars of art and history elucidate the early development of Iranian artists, patrons, galleries, art schools, architects, and writers who influenced and participated in the dynamic decades of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The essays describe a time when Iran experienced an outpouring of original and creative modern art and when the country was very much a part of the international art world.

Iran Modern

Asia Society

This new, fully illustrated catalogue on the celebrated progenitor of video art, Nam June Paik (1932–2006), brings together a host of scholars, artists, and Paik’s own collaborators to illuminate the work of this innovative artist. An essay by curator Michelle Yun takes readers through Paik’s highly original career, providing insight into his radical and witty experiments with technology, especially in relation to the body, which he viewed as vital platforms for the future of art, science, and popular culture. Scholars David Joselit and John Maeda contribute texts examining the artist’s interest in new media and popular culture. A roundtable discussion with three of Paik’s own artistic collaborators and contemporary artists’ statements shed light on the collaborative process and Paik’s enduring influence on artistic practice today. Drawing on the newly established Nam June Paik Archive at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this book also features never-before-published primary sources that highlight Paik’s prescient attitude towards the integration of increasingly indispensable technologies into modern life.

Nam June Paik: Becoming Robot

A stunning showcase of exceptional and rare works of Buddhist art, presented to the international community for the first time The practice of Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma) has resulted in the production of dazzling objects since the 5th century. This landmark publication presents the first overview of these magnificent works of art from major museums in Myanmar and collections in the United States, including sculptures, paintings, textiles, and religious implements created for temples and monasteries, or for personal devotion. Many of these pieces have never before been seen outside of Myanmar. Accompanied by brilliant color photography, essays by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Donald M. Stadtner, and scholars from around the world synthesize the history of Myanmar from the ancient through colonial periods and discuss the critical links between religion, geography, governance, historiography, and artistic production. The authors examine the multiplicity of styles and techniques throughout the country, the ways Buddhist narratives have been conveyed through works of art, and the context in which the diverse objects were used. Certain to be the essential resource on the subject, Buddhist Art of Myanmar illuminates two millennia of rarely seen masterpieces.

Buddhist Art of Myanmar