Almanac 2018

For ArtAsiaPacific’s first issue of 2018, we present Almanac XIII, a compendium of the most significant art events of 2017 and a look ahead at what’s next in 2018. In addition to spotlighting 53 countries—such as in East Timor, North Korea, Laos, Nepal, Syria and Turkmenistan—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. 

We’ve also invited influential art world figures to reflect on the major cultural events of 2017, including Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, Sunpride Foundation’s Patrick Sun, independent curator Natasha Ginwala, one of Australia’s most generous art patrons Simon Mordant, and Barjeel Art Foundation founder Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi.

For the Five Plus One section, the editors have selected five artists and art collectives that have contributed to the major conversations and exhibitions of the last 12 months, along with one poised for a transformative year ahead. These include Karachi-born Rasheed Araeen, largely considered the father of British minimalism; the 400-member Japanese new-media group teamLab; New Zealand’s video and film artist Lisa Reihana; Beijing conceptualist Song Dong; Indonesian endurance performance artist Melati Suryodarmo; and the Philippines’ emerging video artist Martha Atienza.

We also track the year’s major news, controversies, career moves, as well as awards. Significant museum and gallery exhibitions are highlighted, and we peruse anthologies and monographs to pick our top 12 books of the year, and look ahead to the exhibitions that we are eagerly anticipating in 2018. 

The Almanac would not be possible without the generosity of all our sponsors. We are tremendously grateful to our associate sponsor, the Sharjah Art Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Burger Collection, Mapletree, SAHA Association and the Frank F. Yang Art and Education Foundation. We also thank all patrons, art institutions and galleries who believe in the importance of this challenging endeavor.