Exotic Journey: Coco's Exploration of Asia Exhibition

Contemporary唐人 Art Center is honored to present the exhibition ‘Exotic Journey: Coco’[...]

Contemporary唐人 Art Center is honored to present the exhibition ‘Exotic Journey: Coco’s Exploration of Asia’. This is an innovative touring exhibition that delves deeply into the rich and complex story of chocolate and cocoa beans in Asian history. The exhibition brings together 20 artists from various parts of Asia. Through their years of practice and diverse expressions, it reveals the role of cocoa beans from their origin to their long process of popularization and then to their current role in Asian society. The exhibition not only explores the cultural charm of cocoa beans but also analyzes in depth the key issues faced in its production process, including environmental impacts, social customs, and sustainable development and other topics. After its debut in Vietnam and Hong Kong, the exhibition will be exhibited in Indonesia and the Philippines in the future. For many people, the taste of chocolate evokes childhood memories, a sweet feeling, and the warmth of family. In Asia, chocolate is often a gift brought back after a visit from a distant country, which is anticipated and loved. Nowadays, chocolate is no longer regarded as an ‘exotic’ luxury. In addition to Western brands, many Asian countries have also developed their own chocolate industries, incorporating flavors and ingredients that suit the Asian palate. However, for many people, the story behind the chocolate food we see on market shelves remains an unknown territory. Is cocoa produced in Asia? Why has chocolate been long absent from Asian culinary culture? Can local producers today meet the growing demand for chocolate? Who are the farmers who harvest cocoa in this region, and what challenges do they face when demanding sustainable expansion of production? And how do we make chocolate? Each artist has deeply researched the external shape of the cocoa pod, its ritual uses, and the trade routes it has experienced. The audience is invited to freely move and view among the works as the research fields of these works overlap and complement each other. The unique characteristics of cocoa beans, their growing conditions, and the related colonial history not only affect the way of trade and exchange but also shape the local environment and culture. The long and complex process of transforming cocoa beans into chocolate is also an important factor. The exhibited artworks reflect this interconnection and point to the continuous changes of cocoa in both literal and metaphorical senses. In the porous landscapes they describe, humans, technology, insects, rain, time, and even humus are interdependent. This exhibition, as a collective creative research project, aims to reveal many untold stories of cocoa and chocolate in Asia through various embodied, emotional, imaginative, and conceptual artistic expressions.

The full text is open from October 17 to November 14. The specific business status is subject to the opening situation on that day.