During the World Music Festival held in September of this year in Chicago, Naeif Rafeh and the al Sham Ensemble played authentic Middle Eastern music that left listeners breathless, and showed them a taste of a culture not of their own. Naeif Rafeh has been based in Chicago for ten years. Join discussion...

In Rio de Janeiro, Peter Coffin flew his U.F.O as part of a rather freeform art exhibit of its own; because there are so many UFO sightings in R.d.J, he chose that place for this second showing of his piece of art: a huge light-show of a flying saucer. The first show was in Poland last year. Join discussion...

I'm not sure if this counts as an 'article' persay, but Shinwa Art Auction is the largest art auction in Japan! Established in 1989, this company's market share was placed at 33%. Their sale fee is 10.5% of the bid, and there are a few other charges such as a storage fee etc. In February of this year, a few new catalogues will be released, including one on Modern Art. Their website includes estimates of how much they think each piece will be sold for (in yen.. so don't be too surprised XD) Join discussion...

Taiko Drumming is an ancient Japanese art form originating from Gagaku, a certain type of court music that is one of the oldest still being played today. Taiko itself is a mixture of martial arts and percussion, the word "taiko" meaning 'drum'. Join discussion...

There was an exhibition in Japan honouring Osamu Tezuka, who would have been 80 on November 3. The mangaka, famous for Astro-Boy and many other comics, is world-renowned as a "god of manga". In the USA, a movie will soon be released as an animated version of the Astro Boy manga. Go Tezuka-san! Join discussion...

For the first time in sixty two years, the original version of New Treasure Island (a classic manga by Osamu Tezuka) will be reprinted. Shin Takarajima is referred to as one of the great manga of the world, and was first printed in 1947. Osamu Tezuka, the mangaka, is also renowned for Astro Boy. Join discussion...

In Hong Kong, Sothesby's sale of Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian paintings made far more money that was estimated. Over HK$71 Mil was spent (US$9 million). The article in the link tells more about each of the individual works sold. Join discussion...

This is describing a new exibit at the Ashmolean, some Chinese block prints from the years 1950-2006. This exibit shows how art in China has changed in the past fifty years, and describes the exibit in more detail. I find this interesting, since I spent a month in Oxford this summer, although I did not have the chance to visit anything but the outside of the Ashmolean, which is one of England's oldest museums. Join discussion...