In Stranger Lands: Cocoa’s Journeys to Asia
Oct 17 – Nov 14, 2024
Opening: Thursday, Oct 17, 4pm – 7pm
Curator’s tour followed by a cocoa tea prepared by Conspiracy Chocolate:
Saturday, Oct 19, 3pm
Live chocolate tempering and hot chocolate beverage inspired by ancient Maya recipes, with our partner Conspiracy Chocolate:
Saturday, Oct 26, 4pm
Tang Contemporary Art
20/F, Landmark South
39 Yip Kan Street
Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
+852 3703 9246
Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 7pm
theasiancocoaproject.com
tangcontemporary.com
Tang Contemporary Art proudly presents In Stranger Lands: Cocoa’s Journeys To Asia – an exhibition curated by Caroline Ha Thuc, featuring 20 newly commissioned artworks by established artists working across Asia. After Vietnam, this is the second edition of the Asian Cocoa Project, a touring multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to the culture and history of cocoa in Asia.
For many of us, the taste of chocolate evokes childhood memories, sweetness, and the warmth of family. In Asia, chocolates were often brought back from visits to faraway countries and received as gifts with excitement and pleasure.
Today, chocolate is no longer considered an “exotic” luxury item. In addition to Western brands, many Asian countries have developed their own chocolate industries, incorporating flavours and ingredients that resonate with Asian palates. However, what lies behind the chocolate bars that we see daily on supermarket shelves remains, for many, unknown territory.
Is cocoa produced in Asia? Why has chocolate been absent for so long from the Asian culinary landscape, and can local producers meet today’s growing demand? Who are the farmers cultivating cocoa in the region, and what are the challenges they face when asked to scale up production in a sustainable way?
Conceived as a collective and creative research project, this exhibition invites us to delve into these issues, aiming to shed light on the many untold stories of Asian cocoa and chocolate through an array of embodied, emotional, imaginative, and conceptual artistic expressions. From the cocoa tree’s unique characteristics and its colonial history to the ecological challenges surrounding its current production and the many processes involved in turning beans into chocolate, the artistic diversity showcased in this exhibition unveils the extensive breadth, potential, and complexity of what is often perceived merely as a foreign delicacy.
The exhibition is complemented by a series of talks and chocolate workshops. For further details, please visit the gallery’s website.
Participating artists:
Ravi Agarwal (India), Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (Indonesia), Antariksa (Indonesia), Agung Firmanto Budiharto (Indonesia), Bui Cong Khanh (Vietnam), Jigger Cruz (Philippines), Maung Day (Myanmar), Cian Dayrit (Philippines), Cyril Delettre (Hong Kong), Veronica Emery (Hong Kong), Jiandyin Collective (Thailand), Jason Lim (Singapore), Pan Lu and Bo Wang (Hong Kong/Netherlands), Kitti Narod (Thailand), Arin Rungjang (Thailand), Erika Tan (Singapore), Rodel Tapaya (Philippines), Ting Chaong-Wen (Taiwan), Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore), Zheng Mahler (Hong Kong)
This project is supported by the METIS Fund and Maersk.
