PARIS.- ASIA NOW, the "boutique art fair" dedicated to contemporary Asian art, will take place from October 19 to 23, 2016, in a new exhibition space located at 9 Avenue Hoche in Paris.

For its second edition, ASIA NOW is broadening perspectives on contemporary Asian art and its growing market, showcasing both established and emerging artists to demonstrate its value and potential. ASIA NOW pursues its mission to uncover the richness and variety of artistic creation in Asia.

ASIA NOW will gather over 30 galleries (compared to 19 galleries in 2015), representing artists from more than 11 Asian territories including Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.

Among those newly represented in the fair this year: Blindspot Gallery (Hong Kong) showcasing the works of a selection of photographers, including Trevor Yeung, MadeIn Gallery (Shanghai, China) presenting artist Wang Sishun, Rossi & Rossi (Hong Kong; London, UK) exhibiting several Tibetan artists, Tang Contemporary (Beijing, China; Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand) showing artist Cai Lei, and Gallery EXIT (Hong Kong) who will present a solo exhibition of Kong Chun Hei.

Participating for the first time will be galleries Arataniurano (Tokyo, Japan), Fabien Fryns (Beijing), Tabula Rasa Gallery (Beijing), Chi-Wen Gallery with Chien Chi-Chang (Taipei, Taiwan), L-Art Gallery (Chengdu, China), with Wu Ding, Zhang Hang, and Zhang Ya, Misa Shin Gallery (Tokyo) focusing on three Japanese artists Shomei Tomatsu, Tsuyoshi Ozawa and Ysuko Iba, and Park Ryu Sook Gallery (Seoul, South Korea) with Seulgi Lee (Seoul), The Centre of Attention/News of the World (London) featuring Teow Yue Han and the Hanoi Doclab, and Vanguard Gallery (Shanghai, China) with Peng Yun.

Also featured are Yeo Workshop (Singapore), presenting Santi Wangchuan’s works using various forms of textile, as well as Edmond Gallery (Berlin, Germany) with the photo-installations of Hu Weiyi.

Among the galleries already involved in ASIA NOW’s 2015 edition: A2Z Art Gallery (Paris, France; Hong Kong), A Thousand Plateaus Art Space (Chengdu), with Chen Qiulin, CHOI&LAGER (Seoul; Cologne, Germany), presenting Ayoung Kim and Heinkuhn Oh, ifa Gallery (Brussels, Belgium) with Xu Zhe’s video works, Leo Xu Projects (Shanghai), Madga Danysz Gallery (Paris; Shanghai; London), with Liu Bolin, JR, Li Hongbo, and Tadashi Kawamata, Primo Marella Gallery and Primae Noctis Art Gallery (Milan, Italy) showcasing Nguyen Thai Tuan’s monumental canvases, and Sa Sa Bassac (Phnom Penh, Cambodia).

ASIA NOW aims to create a close connection between the collector and artists and their works. The second edition will be staged in the intimate atmosphere of a Haussmannian building, through which visitors will be able to wander from one room to the other as they would in a collector’s home.

THE PROGRAMME
An ideal platform for dialogue and exchange committed to the promotion of contemporary Asian art, ASIA NOW is extending its program for its second edition, with new projects and performances featured:

• A group exhibition curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, in collaboration with Matthias Arndt (founder of A3) will be dedicated to Southeast Asia’s art scene, including artists from the Philippines and Indonesia such as Eko Nugroho.

• At ASIA NOW, Shang Xia and Christie’s will continue the dialogue on Chinese Contemporary Design having already had two years of successful collaboration in Shanghai, New York and Paris. Twelve pieces designed by Shang Xia – the leading brand of Chinese contemporary design and craft of Hermès group – will once again illustrate the creativity and vibrancy of today’s China, a society that cares about its history and cultural legacy.

• The Centre of Attention/News of the World (London), a non-commercial and not-for-profit organisation and research studio curated by Pierre Coinde will be presenting two projects which will reveal the thinking processes in contemporary visual media. It focuses on the work of international or British artists working within the context of globalization. There will be a non-stop screening of the Hanoi Doclab exhibition and a performance piece by Singaporean artist Teow Yue Han.

• A Women’s Independence Art Show curated by Magda Danysz, commissioned by Etam to celebrate its 100th anniversary, will present the works of 10 artists including Liu Bolin, Li Hongbo, Stella Sujin, and Yi Zhu. The art commissions will be first unveiled at K11 art museum in Shanghai, then at ASIA NOW. After the fair, the artworks will be sold at a charity auction, the profits of which will be donated to the Naked Heart Foundation founded by Natalia Vodinova.