AS the concluding chapter of its 25th anniversary program series Archive for All: Growing with Communities, Asia Art Archive (AAA) presents Part II of the exhibition At 25: Artists’ Early Worlds. Building on the guiding question ‘What were you doing at 25?,’ this exhibition features artists Salima Hashmi (b. 1942), Holly Lee (1953-2024), Bahc Yiso (1957-2004), and Raqs Media Collective (formed in 1992). The exhibition presents their early life trajectories and art practices through rare archival materials and two newly commissioned artworks.
The exhibition opens at AAA’s library on July 24, 2026 and runs until October 31. The opening reception and curator-led tour will be held on July 24 at 6 pm.
At 25: Artists’ Early Worlds showcases Asia Art Archive’s distinctive collections, research methodologies, and the evolving network of artists and institutions it has built since 2000, spanning across Asia and beyond.
The exhibition brings together rare archival materials, organized and gathered from the artists, their families, and various institutions, alongside early works, to recreate the artists’ intimate worlds at the age of 25. As such, Part II also highlights how artistic practices often extend beyond artmaking into areas such as education, writing, and advocacy.
The exhibition shapes a multi-layered vision of art history that includes broader sociocultural contexts, as well as emotional personal recollections, and stories of the departed told by loved ones.
The display is complemented by two new commissions born from the interplay between historical reflection and artistic inquiry: While Salima Hashmi reflects on the fragility of memory, Raqs Media Collective revisits an unrealised project.
An opening reception and curator-led tour will be held on July 24, 2026, 6 pm, at AAA’s library.
Jeebesh Bagchi of Raqs Media Collective will be in attendance. Bagchi will lead a guided tour, original film footage showcase, and a conversation on July 25 at 2 pm. Both events are free and open to the public with registration.
Archive for All: Growing with Communities is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, as well as Mimi Brown and Alp Erçil and Wendy Lee and Stephen Li.