ArtAsiaPacific’s Almanac 2023 observes the year of transition. We compiled the major comings and goings-from art museum expansions to unfortunate closings, new hires and recent departures, big awards, and ambitious future plans. The Cultural Currency section reflects on the rocky sophomore year for NFT marketplaces, the return to large-scale art fairs, and the sudden popularity of “ultra-contemporary” artists at major international auctions. In City Reports, we hear from 14 artists, writers, and curators who have been closely following events in the places where they live and work. AAP’s Seoul desk editor Andy St. Louis reports on Korean art’s moment in the commercial limelight. Our correspondents Beverly Yong and Rachel Ng in Kuala Lumpur assessed how the pandemic motivated art organizations to reach new audiences. From Jakarta, Chabib Duta Hapsoro reports on Indonesia’s efforts to decentralize funding away from the capital region, while Quddus Mirza reflects on the year in art amid devastating floods in Pakistan. Associate editor Pamela Wong caught up with the artist collective Dumb Type, who represented Japan at the 59th Venice Biennale, while assistant editor Nicole M. Nepomuceno conversed with Pio Abad about his exhibition in Manila amid a contested presidential election in the Philippines. In Hong Kong, associate editor Tiffany Luk sat down with Sharon Lee to hear about her photo-based projects reflecting on changes in the city, while deputy editor HG Masters spoke with Munem Wasif about his long-term engagement photographing and filming in Old Dhaka. The issue also celebrates six Artists of the Year whose projects and exhibitions drew attention to pertinent issues and gained traction in 2022: Ali Cherri, Lu Yang, Mire Lee, Jes Fan, proppaNOW, and Tammy Nguyen. In the back of the issue are noteworthy exhibitions and festivals that captured the zeitgeist, along with the events that we will have our eyes on in 2023.
