The exhibition “Asia Awakens: Art and the World Transformed, 1960s–1990s” brings together some 140 works in Tokyo by over 90 artists from more than 10 countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India. A wide array of avant-garde art, encompassing painting, sculpture, prints, photography, video, performance, and installation, is presented in its entirety.

Across Asia from the 1960s to the 1990s, society was shaken by major events: independence from colonial rule and rapid modernization, ideological conflicts stemming from the Cold War and the outbreak of the Vietnam War, ethnic strife, and the rise of democratization movements. The artists who lived through this era questioned what "art" meant in relation to their local realities, pioneering forms of expression that transcended existing genres. This exhibition showcases a collection of their challenging and experimental works.

The exhibition begins with an introduction presenting representative works alongside the social contexts and timelines of Asian regions. It is then divided into three thematic sections. The first chapter explores the expansion of artistic expression across diverse media. The second chapter focuses on "cities" as the stage for new artistic movements. The third chapter examines the power of art in forming "groups" that connect to social change.