The inaugural Asia Art Pioneers was launched this month with a ceremony in Shanghai to honour key players in the region’s artworld. Founded by Modern Media, the award was established with the goal of encouraging artistic production, research and exchange within the region, and the promotion of contemporary Asian culture around the world. It is co-organised by The Art Newspaper China, ArtReview Asia and LEAP.
Based upon yearlong reports and critics’ reviews from across the three titles, Asia Art Pioneers honours individuals, institutions, programmes and exhibitions that advocate global dialogue, champion innovation, and take the lead in cross-boundary collaboration and social engagement in Asia.
The editors of the three publications serve as jurors, the ceremony for which took place at Modern Art Base on 8 November, Shanghai in association with its lead partner, Mercedes.
The full list of honourees is below:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Huang Yong Ping (1954–2019)
PUBLIC ART PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Okayama Art Summit 2019
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR
Awakenings: Art in Society in Asia 1960s–1990s
National Gallery Singapore, in collaboration with National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and Japan Foundation Asia Center
INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
Gudskul: Collective Study and Contemporary Art Ecosystem
ruangrupa, Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara, Indonesia
ARTISTS OF THE YEAR
Cao Fei
Nikhil Chopra
Ho Tzu Nyen
Heague Yang
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION
K11 Musea
ART MARKET PERSONALITY
Kevin Ching (Chief Executive Officer, Asia | Sotheby’s)
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR (CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART)
China Landscape: Selections from the Taikang Collection 2019
Taking Insurance Group
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR (TRADITIONAL CHINESE ART)
The Painted Screen: Past and Future
Suzhou Museum
EXHIBITIONS OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL SOLO EXHIBITION)
David Hockney: Works from the Tate Collection
M Woods–Hutong
Picasso–Birth of a Genius
UCCA Center for Contemporary Art
Mark Bradford: Los Angeles
Long Museum West Bund
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL GROUP EXHIBITION, CHINA)
Maurizio Cattelan: The Artist Is Present
GUCCI and Yuz Museum
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL, TRADITIONAL ART)
Beyond Boundaries: Cartier and the Palace Museum Craftsmanship and Restoration Exhibition
The Palace Museum and Cartier
ART PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR, CHINA
PRADA Rong Zhai Art Projects supported by Fondazione Prada
ART MARKET OBSERVER, CHINA
Wu Kejia (Author of TEFAF Art Market Report: The Chinese Art Market, Professor at Sotheby’s Institute New York)
