Ten Nights' Dream in Asia

When you close your eyes and let yourself drift away, this is a season for exploring the realms our dreams take us. Our hopes for the future may be expressed through dreams, but in the illusionary world created in our dreams our anxiety and fears over an uncertain future are also played out through nightmares. In this exhibition, themed on the concept of dreams, 26 pieces are introduced from the work of various contemporary artists from Asia. Observing the figures and subjects within the pieces as well as the titles can be the start of a journey of the imagination into other worlds and ways of seeing.

1.Journeys of the mind
In our dreams, with the power of imagination, we can make any journey a reality. What kinds of journeys of the imagination do artists set out on? The Taiwanese artist, Wu Tien-Chang, using retro photographs takes us on a journey back to the good old days and the optimism of that time. He Yunchang, from China, produced a performance piece in which while his body is physically bound and restrained, his mind makes the journey from Fukuoka to Mt. Fuji. Chi Peng, also from China, adapts digital images and adds them to images of the real world to create an unreal, or ultra-real, new world.

2.Surreal worlds
The dreams we experience while sleeping often break away from the norms of reality, connecting us to existences and experience impossible when awake. In this section we move beyond what is real and introduce the surreal. By confronting an expressionless human form against the vast expanse of the Mongolian plain, Su Xinping’s work is symbolic of the human psyche. The use of a subtle and muted monochrome scheme creates an ethereal atmosphere that beckons the viewer into the world beyond reality. In Don M. Salubayba’s　“Taming a Baku”, the Philippine artist shows through simple line drawing the various dreams that the baku has consumed. Traditionally the baku is a mythical creature known in Japan for eating dreams.

3.Imaginary landscapes
When our dreams incorporate natural forms and features many varied landscapes of the imagination are created. When we are in such a landscape, gazing at the sky, listening to the gentle whisper of the breeze in the trees, we are able to see a natural environment that does not exist in reality. The Burmese artist, Wah Nu’s gentle piece shows a young girl dreamily floating back and forth between reality and illusion depicted by the dappled play of sunlight through the trees of a forest and a troop of ants crawling up and down a wall. Dinh Thi Tham Poong from Vietnam has produced a piece evoking a sense of nostalgia and fantasy as a young girl’s figure and the leaves of the trees appear to melt together in a softly unfolding dream world.

4.The nightmare of reality
Dreams not only relate ambiguous or blurred feelings and images, but also the harsh reality of modern life as nightmares. The stresses of reality on Asian society include issues of colonial history and post colonial tensions related to ethnicity and religion. Roberto Feleo depicts the many foreign powers that have invaded the Philippines as nightmares intruding on and threatening peaceful sleep. The Malaysian artist, Tan Chin Kuan portrays Malaysian society of the 90’s as a nightmare caught up in a frenzy of greed and anxiety. Nazlee Laila Mansur from Bangladesh shows nightmarish events from reality occurring within a beautiful dreamlike Louis Kahn architectural setting.