For the art world in the Asia-Pacific region, March is a bustling month, especially for those who plan to attend major fairs such as the upcoming Art Basel Hong Kong (Mar 28–30) and Art Central (Mar 28–31). Many viewers, perhaps en route to Hong Kong, will also seek out alternative experiences in addition to the busy commercial scene—as more than 300 global and regional galleries flock to Hong Kong in the coming weeks. Museums, nonprofits, and other art spaces across the region are concurrently hosting large-scale group shows, including biennials in Sydney, Shanghai, Chiang Mai, and a triennial in Yokohama, as well as captivating solo exhibitions and surveys. Here is a compilation of must-see events from AAP’s editors.

Nov 9, 2023–Mar 31, 2024
14th Shanghai Biennale “Cosmos Cinema”
Power Station of Art
Shanghai

Led by artist-curator and e-flux cofounder Anton Vidokle with a curatorial team of Zairong Xiang, Hallie Ayres, Ben Eastham, and Lukas Brasiskis, the 14th Shanghai Biennale takes place at the Power Station of Art. Vidokle’s research into Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorov’s concept of cosmism inspired the Biennale’s exploration of various cosmologies and cinematic languages through artworks by more than 80 artists, showcased across three floors of the museum. Read our review here. 

Nov 18, 2023–Apr 14, 2024
Voice Against Reason
Museum MACAN
Jakarta

The group exhibition “Voice Against Reason” at Museum MACAN gathered 24 artists and groups from across the Asia-Pacific region to question the status quo. Curated by former Museum MACAN director Aaron Seeto along with Rizki Lazuardi and Putra Hidayatullah, the exhibition explores the conundrums that arise between history and tradition in the modern sociopolitical landscape. The exhibition spans large-scale installations, multichannel videos, performances, miniature paintings, and readymade collages addressing complex political topics facing the region. Read our indepth review here. 

Dec 9, 2023–Apr 30, 2024
Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai 2023 “The Open World”
Various locations
Chiang Rai, Thailand

The third Thailand Biennale, titled “The Open World” and led by artistic directors Rirkrit Tiravanija and Gridthiya Gaweewong, took place in heritage-rich sites around Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle region, as well as in the newly built Chiang Rai International Art Museum. Hosting 38 international and 22 Thai artists and collectives, the festival explored local histories to probe globalized perceptions on mythology, geopolitics, animism, and ecology. Read our review in Issue 137 (Mar/Apr 2024). 

Dec 15, 2023–Ongoing
Ay-O: Hong Hong Hong
M+
Hong Kong

Launching the new M+ Pao-Watari Exhibition Series, which showcases monographic exhibitions focusing on pivotal figures and moments in art history throughout Asia, “Ay-O: Hong Hong Hong” presents a comprehensive survey of Ay-O’s oeuvre from the 1950s to the 2000s. The exhibition is enriched by a selection of Fluxus works created by Ay-O and his avant-garde contemporaries, offering an survey of the artist’s role within the art movement and his own rainbow-striped practice. 

Dec 20, 2023–1 Apr, 2024 
Green Snake: Women-centred ecologies
Tai Kwun Contemporary
Hong Kong

Co-curated by Kathryn Weir and Xue Tan, Tai Kwun Contemporary’s latest group exhibition, “Green Snake: Women-centered ecologies,” spotlights recent efforts by approximately 30 international artists and collectives, many of whom respond to exploitative systems in the Global South and beyond. The exhibition ambitiously brings ecofeminism—the intersection of environmental and gender-based activism—into Hong Kong’s discursive consciousness. Read about several of the highlights in our review. 

Feb 28–Jul 7
Philippe Parreno: VOICES
Leeum Museum of Art
Seoul, Korea

Leeum Museum of Art is presenting the inaugural solo exhibition in Korea of the globally acclaimed French artist Philippe Parreno, titled “VOICES.” Emerging as a prominent figure on the practice of exhibition-making in the 1990s, Parreno presents a selection of artworks from his three-decade career alongside newly commissioned works for the exhibition in the most extensive survey in Asia of the artist’s work to date.

Mar 9–Jun 10
24th Biennale of Sydney, “Ten Thousand Suns”
Multiple locations
Sydney

The 24th Biennale of Sydney, titled “Ten Thousand Suns,” showcases the creations of artists from 88 artists and collectives from 47 countries. Curated by Cosmin Costinaș and Inti Guerrero, the biennale embraces celebration as a method, inspired by the power of collective resistance from First Nations knowledge and unity in the face of adversity, while exploring diverse histories, Islamic voices, and queer perspectives.

Mar 15–Jun 9
8th Yokohama Triennale “Wild Grass: Our Lives”
Multiple locations
Yokohama

At the 8th edition of Yokohama Triennale, Beijing-based curator Liu Ding and Carol Yinghua Lu oversee the presentation of works from 94 global artists under the theme “Wild Grass: Our Lives,” after Chinese writer Lu Xun’s eponymous book, written in 1927, that critiques the social circumstances of early modern China. Using Xun’s anthology as a reference, the exhibition seeks common ground for within human condition amid war, the climate crisis, and economic instability. 

Mar 21–Jun 2
Nomadic
The Jim Thompson Art Center
Bangkok

The group exhibition “Nomadic,” curated by Vennes Cheng, the current associate curator of M+ in Hong Kong, investigates the notion of human displacement caused by war, conflicts, and disputes from both the past and present circumstances in Asia. Featuring works by artists from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the exhibition aims to mediate discussions on social articulation of community and identity formation. 

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