A new book series propels the conversation of Asian identity beyond generalizations of the Far East, the other, and the silent minority. FAR—NEAR, curated by Lulu Yao Gioiello, shares unapologetic, genuine perspectives of the Asian experience, by Asians contributors, without succumbing to appeals for Western approval. The approach by Yao Gioiello is simple: the Asian artists in FAR—NEAR aren’t obligated to address their heritage in their work if they don’t want to, while opening the pages to other artists across the Asian continent—Georgia, Russia, Turkey, and India. The first volume of the annual series, On Movement, explores the act as it relates to the human condition. Using dance, gesture, transportation, import/export in stories that span video, photo and text, the volume celebrates and reclaims what it means to be Asian. Featuring works from both up-and-coming and established artists and writers such as Shirin Neshat, David Meskhi, and Viven Lee, who, in respective pieces, explore the beauty found during New Delhi Pride, the meticulous garments of designers LRS and Kim Shui, as well as South Korea’s March 1st movement. “I didn’t want someone to take one glance at the book and immediately judge it as an Asian book,” said Yao Gioiello. “I think a lot of what is out there currently is specifically addressing Asian heritage and stereotypes instead of challenging it or giving alternate viewpoints. I want to give a platform to celebrate work by Asian people and not pigeonhole them.”