Undoubtedly one of the most discussed art exhibits of 2013 took place in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. The Rain Room, the installation crafted by the art collective known as Random International for the “EXPO 1: New York” exhibition, became a drawing feature to behold. From its opening until the shuttering of the exhibition at the close of summer, the Rain Room had natives and travelers who made seeing the exhibit part of their trip waiting in lines for hours on end. The installation, which is comprised of an entire room that visitors could walk through and get the sensation of being in the midst of a downpour but not get wet whatsoever, was a true sensory experience that justified those lines. Lines which, coincidentally, were on par with equally long lines in the installation’s first appearance in London, United Kingdom. It was all the more impressive despite a flurry of mixed feedback from critics, buoyed in no small part byan abundant array of social media posts and photos that showed off the exhibit. For those anxious to see it again, or to witness it for the first time, it may mean booking a flight to Southeast Asia.
At a panel discussion held as part of the Art Stage Singapore Fair earlier today, Budi Tek, the Indonesian-Chinese art collector and owner of his own private museum made the announcement that he has not only acquired the Rain Room, but that he plans to bring it to his Yaz Museum beginning in September of this year. Tek has gotten his fair share of media scrutiny due to his artistic ambitions. His first museum opened in his hometown of Jakarta nine years ago, and this second museum is located just outside of Shanghai, China – a point of high interest since his storage location and his usage of temporary import licenses allows him to avoid stiff government tariffs on imported artwork. The collector looks to have the Rain Room be installed in a much larger room than the MoMA’s 500-square foot space. Further plans would see the Rain Room then be shown in Singapore in 2017, though he was not forthcoming as to where. The ultimate destination for the exhibit would be an art complex Tek has in the works to be located in Bali.
