Talentspotter shines a spotlight on Asian artists, which offers not just information on artists from the regions but also market insights. This series originally ran in The Asia Pivot, Artnet Pro’s biweekly members-only newsletter providing mission-critical analysis, insights, and exclusive intelligence on developments in Asia’s art markets, with a focus on business opportunities and challenges. Subscribe here to receive it directly to your inbox.

Paintings may still be the mainstream medium considering their innate market accessibility, but throughout our search for the next art star in The Asia Pivot‘s Talentspotter column, we have come across a number of artists who work outside the frame. These artists based in Asia and beyond have been cultivating new visual languages through their experiment with a wide range of media, from sculpture and installation to moving image and mixed media. Their works are conceptual and challenging at times, but they share one common thread, which is to tell profound and intricate stories drawn from the environment they live in. Here we shine a spotlight on several of them who deserve our attention.

Yi To

Yi To, Four legs good, two legs bad (2023), TV aerial, silicone, epoxy clay, acrylic, aluminum wire, 100 x 35 x 30 cm. Courtesy the artist and Alice Amati.

Who: Yi To (b. 1995, Hong Kong)

Based in: London

Gallery: Alice Amati in London and Someday Gallery in New York

Why we care: Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, science fiction, physics, forestry, and mycology, Yi To’s paintings often feature a muted palette, reminiscent of gray mold or healing bruises. The artist is fascinated by the ambiguity of primitive forms. Using diluted oil paints, To layers images that oscillate between the figurative and the abstract, transcending specific temporal and spatial contexts. Subtle hints of body parts emerge within the paintings, suggesting primordial life. Inspired by cave paintings from around the world, To is deeply intrigued by natural textures and surfaces weathered by time. Some architectural elements in her artworks hint at a quest for the sublime. She also creates sculptural installations, juxtaposing depictions of human orifices, like ears, with powerful, cold, rigid metal objects. In her latest works, lines serve as a unifying element. They appear to be pulled, subtly, by unseen hands within the paintings, evoking a shared memory of pain that may be particularly resonant for female viewers.

Originally from Hong Kong, To now lives and works in London. She earned an M.A. in painting from the Royal College of Art, London, and a B.A. in textiles from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. To has exhibited worldwide, and her recent shows include “Once, Then, Gone” at Newchild Gallery in Antwerp, “The Shape of Time” at Lindon and Co. in London, “Terrain of the Skin” at Hive Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing, and “Hic Sunt Dracones” at Deli Gallery in Mexico City. She was a finalist for the 2020 Hopper Prize.

Up next: To currently featured in group exhibition “Karmic Fissures” at Podium in Hong Kong. The show runs through September 7.

Ma Qiusha

Ma Qiusha, No.52 Liulichang East Street, Beijing Commune, Beijing (25 May–15 July 2023). Courtesy Beijing Commune.

Who: Ma Qiusha (b. 1982, Beijing)

Based in: Beijing

Gallery: Beijing Commune

Why we care: Phillips Hong Kong’s inaugural New Now & Design Auction realized an artist record for Ma when her painting, You (The Twin Peaks No. 1), sold for HK$127,000 ($16,256). Although her auction record may be scant, Ma’s work has been widely shown at institutions internationally, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun Contemporary, and the Centre Pompidou. Her artistic practice is not bound to a specific medium—apart from paintings, most of her works are videos, installations, and photographs. Ma’s work often uses body parts to subtly portray experiences of everyday life with metaphysical overtones. She lives and works in Beijing.

Renee So

Renee So, Woman Holding Cup XVI (2022), stoneware, 2 parts, figure: 80 x 32 x 36 cm, cup: 7 x 9.5 x 10 cm. Courtesy the artist and Kate MacGarry, London.

Who: Renee So (b. 1974, Hong Kong)

Based in: London

Gallery: Kate MacGarry in London and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Australia.

Why we care: So’s work transcends traditional craft techniques, encompassing ceramics, hand-woven textiles, and furniture. Her creations are deeply rooted in depictions of the female figure in prehistoric cultures. She has a rare ability to impart monumental grandeur and caricatural qualities, and intricately interweaves cross-cultural references, drawing inspiration from prehistoric Europe, Africa, Meso-America, as well as ancient Egypt, Assyria, and China. Her sculptures are notable not only for their evocative fictional personas—with elements borrowed from ancient ritual masks and military and aristocratic portraiture—but also for the meticulous process that yields them. The scale of her sculptures is determined by the capacity of her kiln, and while they evoke a sense of antiquity, the smooth, modern finish of the clay provides a striking contrast.

In 2023, her solo exhibition “Provenance” appeared at the Monash University Museum of Art in Melbourne, Australia, and UNSW Galleries in Sydney. On May 31, So will present her fourth solo exhibition at Kate MacGarry in London, with a new body of ceramic works from her “Woman” stoneware series.

Up next: In November, So will have a solo exhibition at the Lowry in Salford, U.K.

Movana Chen

Installation view of “Movana Chen: Knitting Conversations,” 2024. © Movana Chen. Photo: Wilson Lam. Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong.

Who: Movana Chen (b. 1974, Chaozhou, China)

Based in: Hong Kong and Lisbon

Gallery: Flowers Gallery

Why we care: Movana Chen intertwines her passions for weaving, knitting, literature, and words in her art, which aims to counteract the fragmented digital communication of our time. Her early migration from mainland China to Hong Kong and the dispersal of her loved ones sparked her affinity for letter writing, leading her to weave stories through what she calls “KNITerature” since 2004. Chen crafts sculptural installations that explore communication across cultures by using shredded books, magazines, and maps, creating new language forms. Her monumental work “Knitting Conversations,” conceived in 2013, invited audience participation, transforming book pages into yarn and fostering connections that transcend language, politics, culture, and gender. Concluded in 2017 by over 300 contributors worldwide, this work is currently on view at Hong Kong’s M+ museum until August 18. Her work is also on display at the CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile)’s Fifth Anniversary exhibition, “Factory of Tomorrow,” and the ongoing Thailand Biennale in Chiang Mai. Chen’s works are held by institutions like the Burger Collection and the Louis Vuitton Collection, as well as private collections around the world.

Sarah Choo Jing

Sarah Choo Jing, Individuality shown as part of Gestures of Affection, 16 – 28 January 2024, Soho Residence lobby, Warehouse Hotel, Singapore. Commissioned by Valentino. Image courtesy_ Sarah Choo Jing. jpg

Who: Sarah Choo Jing (b. 1990, Singapore)

Based in: Singapore

Gallery: Yeo Workshop Contemporary Art

Why we care: Singaporean artist Sarah Choo Jing recently won huge crowds during Singapore Art Week earlier this year for her work Gestures of Affection, which was commissioned by Maison Valentino. This project, which focuses on the female body and femininity, consists of seven digital videos exploring subtle interpersonal gestures. Known for her interdisciplinary approach, Choo integrates photography, video, and installation art to capture contemporary urban life and its private narratives, emphasizing themes like voyeurism and the uncanny. Since earning her MFA from the Slade School of Art in London in 2015, Choo has gained international recognition, winning awards like the Lumen Prize for Art and Technology in 2021 and being a finalist for the Audemars Piguet Art Commission at Art Basel 2020. Her work has been exhibited globally at institutions like the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the National Museum of Singapore, and it has been collected by institutions like the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., and the Singapore Art Museum.

Up next: Choo’s 2013 work The Hidden Dimension II is currently featured in “Thirty Years of Contemporary Art from China and Singapore” a group exhibition organized by Singapore Art Museum in collaboration with the soon-to-be-opened Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art. The show opens to public on August 18 and runs through October 18 at Suzhou Industrial Park in China.

Ho Tzu Nyen 

Ho Tzu Nyen, One or Several Tigers (2017), still shot from a two-channel video installation. Courtesy of the artist and Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College.

Who: Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976, Singapore)

Based in: Singapore

Galleries: Kiang Malingue, Hong Kong

Why we care: Auction records for Ho Tzu Nyen may have been scarce (no entry on Artnet Price Database) but works by this critically acclaimed Singaporean artist are in the collection of some of the world’s best-known institutions and distinguished private collectors, including the Guggenheim in New York, Tate in the U.K., M+ in Hong Kong, and Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, to name a few. Ho works with film, video, performance, and immersive multimedia installations. His intriguing, thought-provoking works tactfully blend mythical stories and historical events through which the unarticulated layers of the complex Southeast Asian histories and narratives are explored and unraveled. Ho has exhibited internationally and represented Singapore at the 54th Venice Biennale with his epic piece The Cloud of Unknowing (2011) at Singapore pavilion. His also made headline with experimental work The Nameless (2015), on show at Art Basel in Switzerland in 2016. Ho was the star of the upcoming exhibition “Time & the Tiger” at Singapore Art Museum, a mid-career survey of the artist’s practice, ran from November 24, 2023, through March 3, 2024.

Up next/Ongoing: “Time & the Tiger” is currently on view at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College’s Hessel Museum of Art, which marks Ho’s first in-depth survey of his practice in the U.S. Runs through December 1, 2024, the show features five immersive film and multimedia installations which explore the complex and often overlooked histories of Southeast Asia. New works T for Time and T for Time: Timepieces (both 2023-ongoing), co-commissioned by Singapore Art Museum and Art Sonje Center with M+, in collaboration with Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and Sharjah Art Foundation, are on view, alongside Ho’s other classics.

Tao Hui

Tao Hui, The Night of Peacemaking (2022), featured in the artist’s solo exhibition “We, Entertainment” at Esther Schipper, Berlin, 2023. Courtesy the artist and Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul

Who: Tao Hui (b. 1987, Chongqing)

Based in: Beijing, China

Galleries: Esther Schipper and Kiang Malingue

Why we care: Tao Hui may not have any entries in Artnet’s Price Database yet, but the award-winning artist has already caught the attention of institutions across Asia and beyond. An oil painting graduate of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Tao is known for his films and video installations that are a blend of poignant narratives and lyrical imagery. His visceral and provocative art transcends geographical, cultural, and identity boundaries, and can be found in notable public and private collections, including M+ and Sunpride Foundation in Hong Kong, Kadist Foundation in San Francisco, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, MMCA Seoul, and New Century Art Foundation in Beijing. His solo exhibition “We, Entertainment” at Esther Schipper in Berlin wrapped earlier this year.

Up next: Tao will be having his first institutional solo show in Hong Kong in September. Titled “In the Land Beyond Living,” it will take place at Tai Kwun from September 26 through February 2, 2025. Esther Schipper will also show Tao among other artists at Asia Now fair in Paris in October.