We Begin with Everything

ara contemporary is delighted to present We Begin with Everything, a group exhibition featuring works by 17 Southeast Asian artists that marks the beginning of the gallery. The exhibition title draws inspiration from a chapter in Rick Rubin's book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. It reflects a central tenet of Rubin's philosophy: that the act of creating is an endless, ever-present source. The word 'begin' celebrates processes as a concept turned into tangible manifestation, from exploration, discovery, and finally, transformation. This resonates with the inception of the gallery but also the artists' process of making. These processes of becoming echo the philosophical tenets of process theory, which suggests that reality is defined by constant flux, change, and growth. Just as the universe is in constant motion, so too are the artists' works, ever-changing and developing over time.