As you are greeted by robot Roombas swirling glitter across the floor, walking into the Asian Art Museum’s new exhibition doesn’t feel like entering a typical art installation.
Instead, it feels more reminiscent of the buildup and excitement of opening the door to your favorite club or rave. The electronic music comes into focus as you approach the centerpiece of the room: an authentic copper dance floor with a live D.J. In this place, you don’t just come to see the artwork; you come to appreciate a curated sonic experience.
Rave into the Future: Art in Motion opened last Friday, and will be on display through Jan. 16. The exhibition is the brainchild of curator Naz Cuguoğlu and the product of two years of work. Rave into the Future brings together queer and women artists from the Bay Area, New York, and Europe, all of whom share a West Asian heritage and have personal connections to the rave space. From the house party, to the dance floor and D.J. booth, the space offers nine unique “stages,” each representing a stage in the life of a rave.
Originally from Turkey, Cuguoğlu came to San Francisco eight years ago. While researching the exhibition, Cuguoğlu realized that the narrative about West Asia in Western institutions was “almost a fetishization of pain.” She wanted to challenge this narrative and show the joy and power in the region, particularly in rave spaces.
Rave into the Future offers an unusual multimedia experience that aims to broaden appeal and attract more visitors.
Building on the success of last year’s exhibit Hallyu! The Korean Wave, the museum is again incorporating multimedia elements into its programming, a bold choice for a museum that usually specializes in visual art. This exploration into a new medium may offer a working model for museums struggling with reduced attendance.
The exhibition is also timely. According to a 2023 survey by the American Alliance of Museums, two-thirds of museums reported an average attendance that was only 71 percent of their prepandemic numbers. Cuguoğlu said that the Asian Art Museum continues to feel this impact. Rave into the Future offers an unusual multimedia experience that aims to broaden appeal and attract more visitors.
“Post-Covid, I’m really interested in how we are craving these spaces of gathering,” Cuguoğlu said. “The point of the show is to bring it back so we can dance together. We can listen to music together and remember that: remember the feeling.”
Rave into the Future derives its name not only from rave culture but also from the exhibition’s forward-thinking spirit, in which artists explore how to create new, alternative realities in solidarity with one another.
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