Asia now and AKAA, two off fairs the beaten path

Asia Now, which is currently on its 9th edition, is held at the Monnaie de Paris, where it assembles French and foreign galleries around the Asian art market, from Japan to Iran, and from Central Asia to Pacific Asia. The selection is limited to some sixty galleries, which each have a booth of some 40 square meters. Several art dealers who were present in 2022 are not showing, namely Almine Rech, Frank Elbaz, In situ Fabienne Leclerc, Mitterrand, and Praz Delavallade. Some of those galleries were selected by Paris+. Perhaps the coordination of both proved too complex to handle? Among the first-rate French exhibitors, Perrotin still showed, with a very specific offering: a solo show by the young Japanese artist Ob (born in 1992), discovered by Takashi Murakami.

Nearly half of the galleries exhibiting will be participating for the first time in this edition. Such is the case of Peter Kilchmann (Zurich, Paris), who will occupy the reception room with a juxtaposition between a Japanese artist (Leiko Ikemura) and an Iranian artist (Shirana Shahbazi), while Galerie Éric Mouchet (Paris) presents a solo show of the Afghani Kubra Khademi (born in 1989) who was featured at the Collection Lambert in 2022. The young gallery Cadet Capela (Paris) assembles five artists who work in figurative and abstract painting, as well as ceramics. Among the international galleries in attendance, the fair welcomes two galleries from Tokyo (Maki Gallery and Common). Korea is well-represented, with six galleries from Seoul and several Korean artists on the booths of other galleries, such as Fragments (New York City), which dedicates its exhibition to Young-jun Tak (born in 1989), who appeared in a video at the 2022 Lyon Biennial.

The Asia Now fair focuses on Central Asia, which was an obvious choice for its founder, Alexandra Fain. The Aspan gallery (Kazakhstan), which has been promoting this artistic scene since 2015, presents several artists of the region, while a small yurt by the artist Kokonja (born in 1996) will be installed by the Pygmalion Art Gallery (Astana, Kazakhstan) in the Mansart courtyard. The exhibition “Nouer des nuages” (“Knotting clouds”), a circuit designed by the collective of artists Slavs & Tatars – guest curator of this edition –, will feature a selection of textile works by some twenty contemporary artists. “In Asia, there is no hierarchy of arts as there is in the Western world,” mentions Alexandra Fain on the subject. That is also what makes the fair so interesting. Moreover, it is intended as a “curatorial” platform, featuring a programme of conversations (hosted by Thanks for Nothing), performances, and special projects.

In a more modest configuration, AKAA (Also Known As Africa) – a fair entirely dedicated to the African art scene – assembles 37 galleries at the Carreau du Temple. Last year, this fair set the scene for successful sales, with a set of 87 small paintings by Esther Mahlangu (South Africa, born in 1935) being purchased by an American collector for more than 300,000 euros. Painting remains the dominant medium here, as demonstrated by Backslash (Paris), featuring unprecedented series by Duncan Wylie (Zimbabwe, born in 1975) and Fahamu Pecou (United States, born in 1975). The two artists share themes relating to the heritage of ancestral African civilisations.

Photography is also quite present. The South African gallery newcomer, Afronova, presents two young photographers on its booth juxtaposed with portraits by Alice Mann (born in 1991). One of the fair’s mainstays – occupying one of its largest booths –, the gallery Vallois focuses on the Beninese scene in an intermingling of generations and techniques (painting, sculpture, assemblage). The artists demonstrate ease with textile, as demonstrated by Amine El Gotaibi (Morocco, born in 1983) at MCC gallery (Morocco) and Georgina Maxim (Zimbabwe, born in 1980) at 31 Project (Paris). The fair dedicates its cultural programme to the “curatorial” practice, a classic theme that will be addressed in a book to be published (D’autres viendront).