No Country: Contemporary Art For South And Southeast Asia Opens At The Guggenheim On February 22

-- Inaugural Exhibition of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative in New York Showcases Work by Artists from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- From February 22 to May 22, 2013, the Guggenheim Museum in New York presents No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia, the inaugural exhibition of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, featuring work by 22 artists and collectives representing some of the most compelling and innovative voices in South and Southeast Asia today. Focusing on the region's shifting spectrum of creative practices, the New York presentation features painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and work on paper, the majority of which will be on view in the United States for the first time. All works have been newly acquired for the Guggenheim's collection under the auspices of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund. Following its presentation in New York, No Country will travel to Asia Society Hong Kong Center, October 2013-February 2014. The exhibition is also expected to travel to Singapore.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130221/DC60944)

No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia was curated by June Yap, Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator, South and Southeast Asia, who was invited by the Guggenheim for a two-year residency in New York to organize the exhibition. She received assistance from Helen Hsu, Assistant Curator, Guggenheim Museum, and guidance from Guggenheim Museum Samsung Senior Curator, Asian Art, Alexandra Munroe. Nancy Spector, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator, Guggenheim Foundation, New York, and Joan Young, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Guggenheim Museum, provide curatorial oversight for the multi-year Initiative.

Exhibition Overview
The exhibition expands the Guggenheim's global dialogue and significantly increases its holdings of art from these dynamic communities. The exhibition title, No Country, is drawn from the opening line in W.B. Yeats's poem "Sailing to Byzantium" (1928), which was later adopted by Cormac McCarthy for his novel No Country for Old Men (2005), and evokes the idea of a culture without borders. The exhibition investigates the diversity of contemporary artistic practice in South and Southeast Asia through the work of a cross-generational selection of artists and in the context of the region's historically-shifting borders.

Curator Yap notes: "No Country frames a new look at the network of relationships -- "between places, people, traditions, ideas, and languages -- that defines this interrelated but diverse group of countries. It proposes an understanding of its cultural practices that transcends physical and political borders, revealing a complex pattern of influence. Accompanied by programs for engagement with different local and international audiences, No Country is more than an exhibition; it is a platform for discussion and exchange, and for the undoing of barriers to mutual understanding."

The Artists
The artists in the exhibition are: Amar Kanwar (b. 1964, New Delhi, India), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (b. 1957, Trad, Thailand), Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo (b. 1978, Bandung, Indonesia), Aung Myint (b. 1946, Yangon, Myanmar), Bani Abidi (b. 1971, Karachi, Pakistan), Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976, Singapore), Khadim Ali (b. 1978, Quetta, Pakistan), Navin Rawanchaikul (b. 1971, Chiang Mai, Thailand), Norberto Roldan (b. 1953, Roxas City, Philippines), Poklong Anading (b. 1975, Manila, Philippines), Reza Afisina (b. 1977, Bandung, Indonesia), Shilpa Gupta (b. 1976, Mumbai, India), Tang Da Wu (b. 1943, Singapore), Tayeba Begum Lipi (b. 1969, Gaibandha, Bangladesh), The Otolith Group (est. 2002, London, United Kingdom), The Propeller Group (est. 2006, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Los Angeles, California), Tran Luong (b. 1960, Hanoi, Vietnam), Truong Tan (b. 1963, Hanoi, Vietnam), Tuan Andrew Nguyen (b. 1976, Saigon, Vietnam), Vincent Leong (b. 1979, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Tun Win Aung (b. 1975, Yalutt, Myanmar), Wah Nu (b. 1977, Yangon, Myanmar), and Wong Hoy Cheong (b. 1960, George Town, Malaysia).

Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund Permanent Collection Additions
In addition to the works exhibited in New York and in the exhibition tour, the Guggenheim is in the process of acquiring works by Kamin Lertchaiprasert (b. 1964, Lop Buri, Thailand), Simryn Gill (b. 1959, Singapore), Sopheap Pich (b. 1971, Battambang, Cambodia), and Vandy Rattana (b. 1980, Phnom Penh, Cambodia), which will become part of the Guggenheim's collection through the Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund.

Expanding the Dialogue, On the Ground and Online
As part of its mission to encourage cross-cultural dialogue about contemporary art and cultural practice, the Guggenheim is presenting an extensive series of discussions and commentaries, accessible at participating venues in South and Southeast Asia and New York City, and online on the Initiative's website. The online platform features written texts, audio, and video by curators, art historians, artists, and regional experts. Browse film screenings, artist talks, family workshops and more in the MAP education brochure. Visit guggenheim.org/MAP.

About Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative
No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia inaugurates the exhibition component of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative: a multi-year collaboration that charts contemporary art and creative activity in South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Guggenheim UBS MAP encompasses curatorial residencies, international touring exhibitions, audience-driven educational programming, and acquisitions for the Guggenheim's permanent collection. The initiative seeks to stimulate dialogue and creative interaction both regionally and globally, in museums and among artists, scholars, museumgoers, and online communities.

Website: guggenheim.org/MAP

For updates on the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, follow #GuggUBSMAP on Twitter. For the press release, go to guggenheim.org/pressreleases.