In this issue

For ArtAsiaPacific’s first issue of 2017, we present Almanac XII, a compendium of the most significant art events of 2016 and a look ahead at what’s next in 2017. In addition to spotlighting 53 countries that constitute our active footprint, the Almanac extends to the rest of the world—wherever artists of Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East work and are shown. Now in its 12th edition, the Almanac is a unique endeavor that systematically maps all the artistic activity occurring across the region—from countries, both big and small, with or without arts funding or an art market—to cast a light on the evolution of these creative communities in a transformative time. Since embarking on the very first Almanac, there is no denying how the artistic landscape in many countries has changed, for better or worse. Gathering facts, figures and opinions that reflect the art world across the globe—such as in Bhutan, Brunei, Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and Uzbekistan—requires a special kind of patience, persistence and perspicacity that can only be honed by vigorous trekking through galleries and institutions and poring through print and online sources. We’ve also invited influential art world figures to reflect on the major cultural events of 2016, including Yongwoo Lee, director of the Shanghai Himalayas Museum; Ram Rahman, acclaimed photographer and founding member of Delhi’s Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust; Bige Örer, director of the Istanbul Biennial; Gridthiya Gaweewong, artistic director of Bangkok’s Jim Thompson Art Center; and Yukie Kamiya, director of New York’s Japan Society Gallery. For the Five Plus One section, we have selected five artists who made a significant impact in 2016 and one who promises to do so in 2017, including Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Tiffany Chung, Nick Mangan, Shahzia Sikander, Kishio Suga and Samson Young. We have also picked the ten best gallery and museum shows of the year, and 12 of our favorite books.

ArtAsiaPacific Magazine Description:

For 20 years, ArtAsiaPacific Magazine has been at the forefront of the powerful creative forces that shape contemporary art from Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Covering the latest in contemporary visual culture, ArtAsiaPacific is published 6 times a year in Hong Kong, with editorial desks in 25 countries around the world. Our special annual issue, the ArtAsiaPacific Almanac, published in January, covers the major art events of the past year and forecasts the key trends of the year to come.
The dominant artistic influence in the world today - and for many years to come emanates from the vast territory that lies between Turkey and the Pacific island of Tonga that we call the Asia-Pacific. This territory includes India, China, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Pakistan, New Zealand, Korea and Indonesia, whose combined populations make up an amazing half of the world's total population. Also included are Burma, Cambodia, Kiribati and Uzbekistan - places hitherto overlooked, but which like their gigantic neighbors, are producing cutting-edge art of stunning and unexpected quality.
ArtAsiaPacific is authoritative, accurate, even-handed, exact and essential. Included in each issue is an up-to-date directory of the major galleries, not-for-profit organizations and museums with a focus on contemporary art from our geographical footprint. ArtAsiaPacific offers thoughtful reportage, analysis, comment and criticism to its readers made up of collectors, gallerists, curators, artists and those who want and who need to know the latest developments in the fastest-growing and most astonishing region of the contemporary art world.