Third Realm Exhibit Commands Global Attention

FX Harsono, Still from Writing in the Rain, 2011

The Polygon Gallery is pleased to present Third Realm, a group show of contemporary art from across East and Southeast Asia, marking the first major exhibition at the Gallery since its closure in March due to Covid-19. Third Realm includes contemporary works of photography, video, drawing, and installation by seminal figures of the contemporary art scene.

Third Realm showcases a crucial period of artistic production from the last 15 years and presents a comprehensive view of the contemporary Asian art landscape. Highlights include work by Thai artist and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, winner of the 2010 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives; Cao Fei, the first Chinese artist to have a solo show at Paris’s Centre Pompidou; and FX Harsono, widely regarded as Indonesia’s most prominent contemporary artist. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the community back to a fully reopened gallery, and proud to mark the occasion with a timely exhibition featuring some of the most important artists working in Asia today,” says Reid Shier, The Polygon Gallery’s Director. The Polygon is one of Canada’s most acclaimed photography and media art galleries earning a reputation as one of Canada’s most adventurous public art institutions.

Third Realm provides insights into the sociopolitical shifts at the turn of the century when the Far East’s economic prosperity began to command global attention. Often calling into question the limits and bias of the camera, the artists exploit the directness of documentary images to reveal the complexities of social change. Other participating artists include: Birdhead, Comfortable Collective, Gary Ross Pastrana, Heman Chong, Jompet Kuswidananto, Lu Yang, Paola Pivi, Sun Xun, Surasi Kusolwong, Sutee Kunavichayanon, Xijing Men, Yang Zhenzhong, and Zhou Xiaohu.

Cao Fei, RMB City Opera - But Sometimes I Confuse, 2009

 “Each work presented opens powerful doors into artistic and cultural worlds. The exhibition could not be more perfect for the time we are living in where humans, as social beings, are disrupted and find themselves in isolation. Third Realm is a show that wants to stimulate dialogue, research, communality and openness,” says Davide Quadrio, the exhibition’s curator and co-founder of the FarEastFarWest collection.