Robert Rauschenberg and Asia Solo exhibition at ILHAM Gallery
The exhibition, organised by M+ in collaboration with ILHAM Gallery, represents the first comprehensive survey of Rauschenberg's engagement with Asia. After its successful showing at M+ from 22 November 2025 to 26 April 2026, the exhibition travels to Kuala Lumpur as part of a collaboration between the two institutions, with support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in New York.
Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008, U.S.A) is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and influential artists of the twentieth century. His work foreshadowed many major developments in post-war art such as Pop Art, Conceptual Art, and installation art. His experimental practice redefined what an art object could be, incorporating everyday items and mass media images into his works, and blurring the line between painting and sculpture. An enthusiastic traveller, he drew inspiration from experiencing different cultures, and collaborating with artists across the world. Rauschenberg saw art as a way to foster mutual understanding, and inspire social change, in an era when the world was less connected.
This exhibition marks the first comprehensive exploration of the artist's many projects in Asia, and forms a key part of the worldwide celebration of his centennial in 2025. Rauschenberg travelled regularly to Asia, finding fresh inspiration for his work and making connections with artists, artisans, critics, and patrons across the region. Between the 1960s and 1990s, he visited numberous locations across the continent for exhibitions, collaborations, research, and personal trips, gathering images and materials that he incorporated into his artworks up until his death in 2008. These Asian-inspired works encompass assemblages, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, photography and drawing, and reflect Rauschenberg's omnivorous apporach to media, contnet and technique.
