Asia NOW 2025: Paris Art Fair Bridges East and West at the Monnaie de Paris

 

This year, West and South Asia are at the luminous forefront, highlighting regions from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Under the verdant curatorial theme “Grow,” the fair explores how geography, culture, and shared histories shape perception and understanding, encouraging visitors to consider how artistic practices transform both thought and experience. A notable addition, The Third Space, spotlights South Asian experimental projects that emphasize hybridity and partnership. Highlights include We Were Always Neighbours, curated by Sahil Arora and Rajiv Menon Contemporary Gallery, and a soaring presentation organized by Lê Thiên-Bào of Galerie Bao, bringing together works from Spain and Seoul. 

Asia NOW 2025 presents upwards of 70 cutting-edge galleries, from returning institutions like Esther Schipper, carlier | gebauer, and O Art Space, to newcomers including Art Arario (Seoul), Ron Mandos (Amsterdam), and BAIK ART (Los Angeles, Seoul, Jakarta). The NOW ON realm further emphasizes emerging galleries, reflecting the bold spirit of the younger art landscapes. The immersive public program spans performances, installations, screenings, and talks. Gems include Mohammed Al Faraj’s palm tree installation, Ahaad Alamoudi’s sound and light activation, and participatory projects from Lahore, Colombo, and Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Craft and film are also central, with artists exploring textiles, hybrid drawing, and moving-image works. With the Matsutani Prize and the introduction of RAK Art Foundation Prize, Asia NOW pushes forward its heartfelt mission of supporting artistic creation and fostering international collaboration.

 

Asia NOW’s forward-looking ethos extends beyond the fair’s walls into a living dialogue between artists, curators, and institutions shaping the new cultural map of Asia. This year’s public program unfolds as a constellation of experiences—immersive performances, sensorial installations, and urgent conversations—each amplifying the pulse of contemporary creation from West and South Asia. Visitors encounter poetic works like Under the Aegis of the Moon by Han Mengyun, a meditative installation bridging language and lunar cycles, while Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi’s luminous activation Ghosts of Today and Tomorrow turns sound into an echo of ancestral memory.

 

Dynamic partnerships drive Asia NOW’s evolution, from the Lahore Biennale Foundation’s intergenerational dialogue to Colomboscope’s cross-disciplinary exchange between Sri Lanka and the world. Craft and material exploration take center stage through Desire Moheb-Zandi’s hand-woven textiles, Mella Jaarsma’s theatrical performances, and Racso Jugarap’s myth-infused tapestries—proof that tradition can be a radical act. The fair’s conversation platform furthers this exchange with dialogues hosted by K11 Art Foundation, AWARE, and Musée Cernuschi, inviting new reflections on gender, heritage, and digital aesthetics.

 

Two significant prizes—the Matsutani Prize and the inaugural RAK Art Foundation Prize—deepen Asia NOW’s commitment to nurturing artistic vision. Through residencies and international collaborations, they reaffirm that the fair is not simply a market, but a movement fostering continuity, empathy, and experimentation. Across the historic halls of the Monnaie de Paris, art becomes a language of connection—a gesture toward understanding that stretches from Beirut to Busan, Lahore to Lisbon. In its second decade, Asia NOW continues to expand the horizon of what “Asia” means, dissolving borders and celebrating the fertile intersections where stories, materials, and memories meet in radiant transformation.