04/11/2016
MONTIEN BOONMA FIRST CAME TO WORLDWIDE ATTENTION AT ASIA SOCIETY MUSEUM IN 2003 IN THE EXHIBITION BY APINAN POSHYANANDA, "MONTIEN BOONMA: TEMPLE OF THE MIND."
Glad to see Asia Society recalling this history, which was essential for bringing a lot of Asian contemporary art to a world stage in the 1990s. Many people in Asia have little understanding of just how much an impact this made on global consciousness. Desai was critically important, as was Melissa Chiu. While writing for ArtAsiaPacific and others at the time, I didn't always agree with everything happening there---I was originally highly critical of the building makeover, for instance, when it seemed like a move towards hype and commotion---but in retrospect, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been present during that decade.
Look back at Asia Society's pioneering Asian contemporary art exhibitions.