Trace how desire has been expressed, contested, and reimagined
Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art (R18) explores desire, the body, and sexuality as powerful forces shaping artistic expression across the region.
The title, “Passion is Volcanic”, draws inspiration from Nanyang artist Liu Kang’s 1953 essay Trip to Bali, in which he observed that erotic forms of desire could act as creative forces for questioning and change. Building on this idea, the exhibition approaches the erotic as a lived, felt experience that shapes how we think, know, and relate to others.
Organised across three sections – Asian Mythos and Ritual, Conventions of the Erotic, and Public Arenas/Private Interiors – the exhibition traces how desire has been expressed, contested, and reimagined across different cultural and historical contexts.