Eight spinning robot vacuums near the entrance of the Asian Art Museum's latest exhibition are creating more mess than they're cleaning up, spraying hot pink glitter across the floor rather than collecting it. This intentional chaos is the central concept behind the artwork "Puff Out" by :MentalKLINIK, which serves as part of the after-party experience in the museum's new dance-centric exhibition.
"If they want to rest, they rest," explained Naz Cuguoğlu, the museum's assistant curator of contemporary art. "And if they want to party, they party." The same spontaneous energy applies to visitors exploring "Rave into the Future: Art in Motion," which opened Friday, October 24, and runs through January 12, 2026.
Cuguoğlu, who curated the exhibition and describes it as "a love letter to the dance floor," has constructed the show around nine stages that recreate the complete experience of attending a rave. "Everything that happens in a night out happens in this exhibition space," she said. The curation represents a deeply personal journey for the Turkish-born curator, who chose to feature exclusively women and queer artists from West Asia and incorporated playlists from her own music collection.
This marks the first major pavilion exhibition under the leadership of new director and CEO Dr. Soyoung Lee, who joined the museum in April from Harvard Art Museums. The timing reflects the institution's commitment to presenting contemporary art that challenges traditional museum experiences and engages visitors in new ways.
The exhibition's centerpiece is an actual 100-foot dance stage called "Disguise as Dancefloor" by Joe Namy, featuring a copper floor that collects scuffs and imprints from visitors who dance on it. Wireless headphones are provided to enhance the experience, allowing the piece to evolve as a living exhibition that gathers memories and transforms over time. The choice of copper is significant, as Cuguoğlu notes: "Copper is known as a material to heal, just as Joe is really interested in the dance floor's capacity to heal."
Cuguoğlu aims to redefine the traditional museum experience through her curation, presenting art as something to be both experienced and actively used. The exhibition includes multiple rest areas with oversized bean bags where visitors can view "Spiral," a video piece offering a queer perspective on the often-orientalized form of belly dance. White Adirondack chairs are positioned near color-filmed windows, providing spaces for reflection on personal connections to dance and movement.
The entire exhibition maintains an intimate, darkly lit, and atmospheric environment. Perhaps no piece captures this mood better than Yasmine Nasser Diaz's "For Your Eyes Only," where museumgoers can peer into and even inhabit a bedroom space. The installation glows with a television set displaying women-led protests, features a disco ball, plays a loop of selfie dance videos, and includes a hamper with a "Free Palestine" shirt visible among the clothes.
Bay Area artists contribute significantly to the exhibition through Sahar Khoury's working DJ deck and Maryam Yousif's oversized cassette tape sculpture. Khoury, based in Oakland, created a functional piece that will play an active role in the exhibition's extensive event schedule, which includes "Baby Raves" and an open call for local DJs to participate.
Another standout work is Moreshin Allahyari's highly reflective and playful "She Who Sees the Unknown: The Queer Withdrawings," which uses Islamic mythology and ancient manuscripts to create a wall of silvery female and queer figures. These figures float, disappear, and refract light while simultaneously mirroring viewers who gaze upon them, creating an interactive experience that blends historical references with contemporary queer identity.
Cuguoğlu envisions the rave space as a venue for opening up alternative futures and possibilities. Moving through the exhibition, visitors may find their own interiority expanding as intimate, sweaty moments are displayed in the near darkness for shared contemplation. The experience transforms the deeply personal into something communal through the connective power of dance, creating a unique museum experience that bridges individual reflection with collective celebration.
