Nigel Ip

We appear to be reaching a new phase in ethnic discourse where the past decade’s valuable focus on Black art is starting to simmer down, paving the way for analyses of other cultures and their contributions to art. Oceania and the Pacific seem to be next on the line, having received major exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts (2018), Tate Modern (2025), and the British Museum (2026). Similarly, Asian art is having small moments of interest, particularly South Asia.

Rising Voices at V&A South Kensington adds to this campaign to introduce Western audiences to the contemporary art of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. Produced in partnership with the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, it draws on over 30 years of the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, showcasing the best of the best across four rooms foregrounding First Nations perspectives and their approaches to themes of migration, conflict, ceremony, spirituality, and much more.

The most memorable highlights bookend the exhibition, although everything on display contributes to a nuanced web of narratives and regional histories. Michael Parekōwhai’s Kapa Haka (Whero) is a life-sized fibreglass figure of a Māori security guard positioned at the entrance. Meanwhile, the last room plays host to Montien Boonma’s Lotus sound and Takahiro Iwasaki’s Reflection Model (Perfect Bliss). The latter is a recreation of the Phoenix Hall of Kyoto’s Byōdō-in Temple, depicted as both building and reflection, hovering in mid-air. Both are impressive feats of installation and sculpture.

Despite its diminutive size, this show deserves a visit for its careful selection of meaningful works while also expanding our frame of reference considerably in bite-sized portions.

Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific (16 May 2026 – 10 January 2027) is at V&A South Kensington, London, https://www.vam.ac.uk/