Spotlight: Asia Now Paris Brings Contemporary Asian Art to the City of Light Next Week

What You Need to Know: Returning for its eighth edition, Asia Now Paris opens on October 20, 2022, at a new location: the Monnaie de Paris. The historic mint on the city’s Left Bank that covers nearly three acres and is home to an 18th-century palace replete with open-air courtyards, which will allow the fair to exhibit works both indoors and out, transforming the site into an art-centric village. Involving 88 galleries and 284 artists from 27 countries, the fair offers a wide-ranging, multifaceted look at some of Asia’s best contemporary art. The director of the museum, exhibitions, and public programs at Les Beaux-Arts de Paris, Kathy Alliou, has been appointed artistic director of this year’s edition, and she has chosen the theme “Feux de joie” (Flames of Joy), highlighting the importance of fire and earth—as are used in ceramics, a major focus of the fair—for artists both historically and today.

Why We Like It: Asian art cannot be relegated to a single category or genre, and Asia Now Paris presents an exceptional opportunity for visitors to view and experience the entire spectrum of contemporary work from the region. Asia Now Paris has maintained a mission of exploring and promoting the diverse art scenes of the Asian continent as defined by the Asia Society—which spans more than 40 countries—as well as highlighting the many Asian diasporas worldwide. This year’s Asia Now Paris promises to be the most inclusive and comprehensive yet. Featuring world-renowned artists like Ai Weiwei and Takashi Murakami, as well as emerging talents, the fair will also present special-focus exhibitions such as “Mingei Asia Now,” curated by Nicolas Trembley, which examines Mingei, the highly influential Japanese folk craft movement. There will also be a concentration on new modes of art making, like NFTs. “Your Daytime Fireworks,” backed by TRLab, is an interactive NFT project that allows collectors to experience being artists, “lighting” their NFT firework. On the whole, the fair will provide the opportunity to discover new works and artists, and explore an unparalleled diversity of Asian art.

According to the Fair: “Asia Now Paris aims to shine a light on contemporary art across Asia—the broader geography, the artists, galleries, institutions, and collectors, to provide a European hub where they can participate in a more global conversation during Paris Art Week. Our continuing efforts to focus on various regions, generations, and now practices across art communities in Asia positions Asia Now as the leading contemporary art fair dedicated to pan-Asian artists and projects and Asian diasporas.” —Alexandra Fain, director and founder of Asia Now

See featured artworks from Asia Now Paris below.