As the concluding chapter of its 25th anniversary programme 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.

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, organised 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. 

Venue address: 11/F Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan