The Victoria and Albert Museum will open a landmark exhibition this May celebrating contemporary art from across the Asia Pacific region.
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific brings together more than 40 artists from 25 countries, displaying over 70 works spanning sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics, weaving and body adornment. Many of the pieces have never been shown in the UK before.
The exhibition is presented in partnership with Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and draws on more than three decades of its Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.
A region in focus
Home to 60% of the world’s population, the Asia Pacific is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse regions globally. Established in 1993, the Triennial remains the only major recurring exhibition dedicated solely to contemporary artists from the region.
At the V&A, the show unfolds across three themes – history, heritage and faith – foregrounding First Nations perspectives and exploring how artists respond to colonial legacies, migration, conflict and spirituality.
Visitors will be greeted by Michael Parekōwhai’s life-sized sculpture Kapa Haka (Whero) (2003), a striking reflection on stereotypes faced by Māori men.
History, knowledge and belief
The first section, Re-Visioning History, examines contested pasts and political upheaval. Highlights include Pala Pothupitiye’s reimagined map of Sri Lanka’s Kalutara Fort and a collective response to the Bougainville conflict by Brenda Fajardo, Elisabet Kauage, Mathias Kauage and John Siune. Photography by Naomi Hobson and Michael Cook captures intimate and imagined portraits of life across the region.
Enduring Knowledge shifts to ancestral memory and material traditions, featuring intricate works crafted from feathers, bamboo and shell. Standouts include shell necklaces by Lola Greeno and porcelain busts by Ah Xian, decorated using techniques perfected in Jingdezhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The final section, Evolving Faith, explores spirituality in contemporary practice. Centrepieces include Montien Boonma’s monumental Lotus sound (1992), inspired by a temple in Chiang Mai, and Takahiro Iwasaki’s suspended three-metre sculpture Reflection Model (Perfect Bliss) (2010–12), modelled on the sacred Phoenix Hall at Byōdō-in Temple in Japan.
“Stories urgently resonant on a global stage”
Daniel Slater, Director of Exhibitions at the V&A, said:
“Rising Voices brings together an extraordinary group of artists whose works reveal stories that are at once deeply rooted in place and urgently resonant on a global stage. These works have never been seen in the UK before, yet they speak to histories and perspectives that are essential to a fuller understanding of our shared contemporary world.”
The exhibition marks a significant moment in the international dialogue championed by the Asia Pacific Triennial – and offers UK audiences a rare opportunity to experience the scale, diversity and creative energy of the region in one place.
