Third Realm

About the Exhibition

Third Realm presents contemporary Asian art from the FarEastFarWest collection, a Shanghai-based organization that commissions and acquires contemporary Asian artworks and is housed at the MoCP. Capturing a crucial period of artistic production in Asia (2004-2019), Third Realm presents works by artists who use photography, film, installation, and performance to investigate liminal spaces. Covering a range of conceptual modalities and cultural contexts, these works disrupt binaries—of global and local, present and historical, spiritual and secular. Featuring artists predominantly from China, as well as Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia, and projects developed in Asia by international artists such as Paola Pivi, Third Realm connects works from across East and Southeast Asia to present a comprehensive view of contemporary Asian art that, while conceptually grappling with shared themes, is still resistant to broad categorization. 

This exhibition is curated by Davide Quadrio. Artists include Birdhead, Cao Fei, Heman Chong, Comfortable Collective, FX Harsono, Jompet Kuswidananto, Lu Yang, Sutee Kunavichayanon, Surasi Kusolwong, Gary Ross Pastrana, Paola Pivi, Sun Xun, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Xijing Men, Yang Zhenzhong, and Zhou Xiaohu.

FarEastFarWest was founded in 2007 by Eric Guichard and Davide Quadrio and serves as a production platform for artistic projects. The shared goal of its co-founders is to identify artists, select projects and produce historic pieces which address contemporary issues relevant to life in Asia. Individual artworks from the collection have been displayed in prestigious arts institutions across Asia and Europe. FarEastFarWest endeavors to continue promoting the visibility of the artists involved in its program.

The MoCP is supported by Columbia College Chicago, the MoCP Advisory Board, the Museum Council, individuals, and private and corporate foundations. The 2018-2019 exhibition season is generously sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Efroymson Family Fund, and the Philip and Edith Leonian Foundation.