The amount of contemporary art coming out of Asia has exploded in recent years, and it looks both backward to the past’s rich visual traditions, and forward to the bright future. Examples include the most internationally famous Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, who openly criticizes the Communist government of his native country through provocative sculpture and installation. He has faced serious consequences for his art, including being jailed, placed under house arrest, and being unable to leave China. Ai’s work includes video, sculpture, installation, and architecture. Leng Bing-Chuan, a Chinese artist residing in Spain, draws upon traditional Chinese techniques for his work, using ink of a type used in the Song Dynasty for certain pieces. His drawings and prints possess to the fluid, painterly motion of Chinese scroll paintings and calligraphy. In Korea, artists similarly both build upon the past and innovate into the future. Korean ceramic artist Kim Yik-yung makes faceted white porcelain works using traditional Korean techniques, but with a distinctly modern silhouette.

Many contemporary Asian artists respond to specific aspects of their country’s culture through their work. Jitish Kallat, an Indian artist born in Mumbai, works in paintings, video, photography, and sculpture to explore the identity of his city and the place of India in the world. Another Indian artist, Subodh Gupta, uses readymade objects to elevate quotidian elements of urban life to art. In Japan, Takashi Murakami’s instantly recognizable pop motifs draw upon both historical Japanese imagery and contemporary popular culture. Other contemporary Asian artists working today include Myoung Jo Jeong, Charwei Tsai, Takuji Hamanaka, and Saya Woolfalk.