Antoni Muntadas was born in Barcelona in 1942 and has lived in New York since 1971. His interest in reflecting on conceptual interpretation through a variety of cultural contexts and going beyond the linguistic and literal translation began in 1994 with his conceptual art series entitled “On Translation”. In this series, Muntadas targets ideas, concerns and interests that are the basis for the transnational exposition titled “Asian Protocols”.
“Asian Protocols” is a museum collection that is made up of pieces and installations that aim to examine and reflect upon representation and imagery associated with three Asian countries: South Korea, Japan and China. “On Translation” is one of eight projects that the exposition includes and consists of concept map that visually presents the interpretation of 43 terms (like diplomacy, cencureship, religion and politics among others) from artists from the three selected countries.
“Asian Protocols” was presented in 2014 for the first time in the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul. In 2016 the exhibition was moved to Japan where it was set up in 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo and its next stop will be Beijing.
In the exposition’s introductory text in Japan, the artist proposes the following question which gives us a clear idea of the project’s guiding principle that is summed up in the collection: Do stereotypes contain certain truths, repetitions and realities? With this exhibit, Muntadas explores the horizons of social imagery that are associated with Asia within the Western world through visual arts, and reflects upon the concept of otherness in regards to the three countries that shape the project.