'Thermocline of Art: New Asian Waves' presents the first comprehensive view of of contemporary Asian art production, with more than 100 artists from around 20 Asian countries - from Japan to Korea to China, from Southeast Asia to Central Asia. The term "thermocline" refers to an oceanic phenomenon. When there is a dramatic change in the temperature of water, a maelstrom that has remained invisible until this point suddenly shoots out over the surface. The exhibition is meant to achieve a similar effect: a huge continent of art, which has remained hidden below the surface of observation, will now be made visible. Baden-Württemberg thus becomes an observatory of a global development in art. The themes are the dynamics and diversity of Asian religions and people, daily life in other cultures and with different ethics, other views of the individual and the community, humor and satire as answers to power and hierarchies, as well as conflicts between economics and religion, politics and culture.

Images of works in the present catalogue are accompanied by individual texts. With artist biographies.