'Modern Chinese Art: The Khoan and Michael Sullivan Collection’

Part 1: Beginnings 1st February – 15th March
Beginnings focuses on more traditional works, often showing some connection with the orthodox guohua or Chinese national style.  The pieces range from the 1940s through to the late 20th century.

Part 2: A New Generation 1 April – 24th May
A New Generation shows works produced after the Beijing Spring of 1979-81, which released a wave of creative energy marking the art of the 1980s and 1990s.

Asia House
63 New Cavendish Street
London W1G 7LP

Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun closed
Tickets: £2.50; under 18s and Asia House members free.
Information: T: +44 (0)20 7307 5454; E: enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk

‘China Design Now’
This is the first exhibition in the UK to explore the recent explosion of contemporary design in China, and the first attempt to understand the impact of rapid economic development on architecture and design in the country’s major cities.

Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, South Kensington,
London SW7 2RL

Tickets: In person at the V&A (in advance or on day of visit): full £8; concessions available; no booking fee.
Advance telephone and online booking: T: +44 (0)8456 429755 or
W: www.vam.ac.uk/chinadesignnow: £9.40; concessions available; prices inclusive of all booking fees.  
Information: W: www.vam.ac.uk/chinadesignnow

‘Songkran Celebration’

Introduction by Narisa Chakrabhongse
Asia House and the Anglo-Thai Society present an evening of talks, performance and authentic Thai food in celebration of the Songkran Festival.

Asia House
63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP
Doors 6.30pm; Event 6.45pm-8.30pm
Tickets: Asia House members and concessions £15; Non-members £18
Information: T: +44 (0)207307 5454; E: enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk

'A journey of Self-Expression'

by Indian artist Nita Chauhan
Nita Chauhan studied painting at Kala Kendra College of Fine Arts in Gujarat and currently resides in London. Her paintings vary in style, from the use of rich, luminous colours and expressive shapes, to black and white pencil-like drawings that are sculptural and dense in form. Concentrating on the female figure, her paintings suggest narrative; a portrayal of women’s role in society; a reflection of her own fears and beliefs and the impact the world has upon her. She says, “My paintings are my passion, helping me to express my emotions and personality, through which I have found my identity".

The Bhavan Centre, Institute for Indian Art and Culture
The M.P. Birla Millennium Art Gallery
4a Castletown Road
London W14 9HE

Private view 29th April, 6pm- 8pm       
Opening hours: 11am-7pm
Tickets: Admission is free
Information: Emma Cook; T: +44 (0)20 7381 3086; E: curator@bhavan.net;
W: www.bhavan.net

'The Festival of Asian Literature'

The 2008 Festival of Asian literature celebrates the newest and best writing on Asia in a series of talks and discussions.
Focusing on Asian and non-Asian authorswriting about Asia, the programme covers a broad spectrum of fiction and non-fiction from a selection of Asian countries.

The 2008 Festival will include the following events:
Micheal Wood - The Story of India (Monday 12 May)
Expressing Identity in Interesting Times - Mohsin Hamid and Mohammed Hanif in conversation (Tuesday 13 May)
China Today & Tomorrow - Will Hutton and Rob Gifford in conversation with John Gittings (Wednesday 14 May)
Charles Allen: Kipling Sahib- India and the Making of Rudyard Kipling 1865-1900 (Thursday 15 May)
Chinese Women’s Voices: Xinran, Diane Liang Wei and Chiew-Siah Tei - in conversation with Rosie Blau, Literary Editor of the Financial Times
(Saturday 17 May)
Duncan Campbell: The Paradise Trail- In conversation with Pankaj Mishra (Monday 19 May)
Ma Jian: Beijing Coma - In conversation with Boyd Tonkin – Literary Editor of The Independent (Tuesday 20 May)
Shashi Tharoor: The Elephant, The Tiger and The Cell Phone (Friday 23 May)

Asia House
63 New Cavendish Street
London W1G 7LP

All events start proptly at 6.45pm with the exeption of Saturday 17th May, which will start at 2.30pm.
Tickets: Asia House members and concs £5; Non-members £8
Information: T: +44 (0)20 7307 5454; E: enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk

‘The Shanghai City of God Temple’
1st International Daoist Cultural Festival

A two day event which will include music, food and a host of speakers who will cover topics ranging from the history of Daoism to the mysticism of Feng Shui. There will be also a concert in the evening and exhibition celebrating the Daoist religious costumes.

Brunei Gallery, SOAS
Thornhaugh Street, Russel Square
London WC1H 0XG

Lecture Theatre
9am-9pm
Information: Dr Wang Tao; E: wt@soas.ac.uk; T: +44 (0)20 7898 4463 or Rahima Begum; E: rb41@soas.ac.uk; T: +44 (0)20 7898 4893/2

'Asia Contemporary Part II'

a) 18th, 19th, 20th, 23rd June 2008

b) 3rd, 4th, 5th, November 2009

• A) A 4 day intensive course based at SOAS, University of London, focusing on Asia Contemporary Art. The programme focuses on the contemporary art of South Asia (this includes the art of India, Pakistan, Tibet and Nepal) and South East Asia.

• B) A 3 day intensive course focusing on the contemporary art of East Asia covering Chinese, Korean and Japanese contemporary art.

• Course includes:
- Lectures and seminars by leading experts and working artists
- Visits to galleries and auction houses

• Course Objectives:
- To give an in-depth knowledge of contemporary Asian art, focusing on Indian, Pakistan, Himalayan, Nepalese and South East Asian Art.
- To encourage students to relate to contemporary Asian art from both an academic and business viewpoint.
- To allow students a unique opportunity to examine works of art from the museum collections, currently not on show.
- To offer students lectures by world renowned academics on their specialist subjects, together with an opportunity to interact with contemporary artists and curators.

School of Oriental and African Studies
Thornhaugh Street
Russel Square, London WC1H 0XG
W: www.soas.ac.uk

Tickets: the cost of part a) 4 day course is £400; b) 3 day course £300
Information: please contact Dr Heather Elgood for further details;
E: he2@soas.ac.uk; T: +44 (0)20 7898 4451

Click the following link to download Asia Contemporary part II leaflet

Diploma in Asian Art
This postgraduate programme offers a unique opportunity to study the arts of Asia and the Islamic world with lectures by leading scholars in the field.
The course will provide an object-based learning experience through direct access to the reserved collections of the V&A and the British Museum.
The lecture programme is supported by field trips to museums, galleries and private collections. The course will train museum curators or serious collectors. It will prepare students for work in a variety of professions in the art and the museum world and provides a pathway to the master’s degree for those with no background in the subject.

Students successfully completing any three of the modules below will be awarded a University of London accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art.

Selection of modules:
Chinese Art
January - March

Japanese & Korean Art
April - July

Islamic Art
April - July

Indian Art
September - December

No prior specialist knowledge required.

For further details, contact:
Dr Heather Elgood

School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H OXG
Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4445
Email: he2@soas.ac.uk
Web: http://www.soas.ac.uk/art

'The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army'
The exhibition explores one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and provides an insight into China’s First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, and his legacy.

British Museum
Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG

Book tickets at: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
or telephone the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181
10am–5.30pm daily
Admission £12, concessions available
Visitor enquiries by email: information@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)20 7323 8000 (switchboard);
T: +44 (0)20 7323 8299 (information desk)
W: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

'Wrapping Japan'
From simple indigo-dyed farmers’ coats to sumptuous silk kimonos, rope sandals to ladies’ platform shoes, discover the costumes of Japan and the technical artistry and elegance of these textiles.

Horniman Museum and Gardens
100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ

A catalogue for this exhibition is available from the Museum shop at £6.00.

Balcony Gallery
10.30am-5.30pm daily
Admission is free
Information: T: +44 (0)20 8699 1872; E: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk

'Arts of Asia 1500-1900: Islamic Middle East, South Asia
and China'
The course introduces the arts of Asia, 1500-1900, focusing on the Islamic
Middle East, South Asia and China. The rich diversity of artistic traditions
found within this vast territory testifies to the technical skill and innovation
of artists and craftspeople through the ages who refined the arts of
painting and calligraphy, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and carpets, carving and sculpture. Teaching in a mixture of slide lectures and gallery talks,
this course provides a comprehensive foundation in the visual arts of Asia.

Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL

Mondays 11am-3.30pm
Tickets: Full Course £1430; per term £490; per day £39;
concessions available; certificate option £382 (in addition to full course fee)
Information: For the course brochure with daily lectures listed:
T: +44 (0)20 7942 2211 or W: www.vam.ac.uk/courses