Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art

The Asian art scene, led by Christie’s International, has enjoyed huge success in recent years. Held in conjunction with the other Asian Art categories, the Southeast Asian Modern & Contemporary Art sales remains a unique and distinctive entity in the booming art market of Hong Kong. The Southeast Asian region, made up of a mosaic of cultural groups, is also invigorated by the energy brought to it by the influence of its neighbors. The works offered in this category are of a diverse visual aesthetic, representative of the myriad of cultures within the region.

Whilst the Colonial and Modern Masters continue to break records in the category, the May 2008 season truly announced the coming of age of the Contemporary Southeast Asian artists, when the monumental Sudah biasa di telanjangi (Used to being stripped) by the Indonesian artist Masriadi was sold for HK$4.2 million. It is evident that a contemporary visual language is rapidly developing, in which artists are exploring and creating their own unique visual vocabulary across disciplines, challenging aesthetic principles, making for an interesting comparison with their counterparts in other parts of Asia.

As the market leader in this field, who has not only established new records but also stands amongst the first who recognize the emerging and relevant talents from the region, we are proud to expose the category to an international art community in Hong Kong. Christie’s has had a specialist department devoted solely to the field since 1994. The sales are held twice a year in Hong Kong, concurrently with the other Asian Art categories.