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| Asia Arts Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asia Arts Network |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Non-profit arts network |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Region served | Asia-Pacific |
Asia Arts Network Asia Arts Network is a pan-Asian consortium of cultural institutions, festivals, museums, galleries, and arts education centers that facilitates exchange among practitioners, curators, and policymakers across East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. It convenes stakeholders from institutions such as the National Museum Singapore, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Modern, National Centre for the Arts (Philippines), and National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi to promote exhibitions, residencies, and training programs linked to festivals like the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Bali Arts Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Dhaka Art Summit, and Karachi Biennale.
Asia Arts Network operates as a coordinating umbrella among major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, British Council, Japan Foundation, Korean Cultural Centre, Goethe-Institut, Asia-Europe Foundation, and regional bodies such as the ASEAN Secretariat and the Asian Development Bank cultural units. Its constituency includes museums like the National Museum of China, Shanghai Museum, Beijing Contemporary Art Museum, M+ Museum, and ArtScience Museum, alongside universities such as University of Tokyo, Tsinghua University, National University of Singapore, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and University of Delhi. The Network engages with funders and award programs including the Prince Claus Fund, Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation, Cultural Medallion (Singapore), Turner Prize, and regional philanthropies.
Founded during the surge of transnational cultural projects in the 1990s, the Network emerged amidst dialogues involving the Asia Europe Meeting, the World Bank cultural policy advisors, and initiatives by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. Early collaborators included the Royal Asiatic Society, the National Museum of Korea, and the Philippine Cultural Heritage Association. Milestones include partnerships with the Venice Biennale, shared programming with the British Museum and Smithsonian Institution, and joint initiatives with the Asia Art Archive, Korean National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Lumbini Development Trust. Institutional shifts reflected influences from events like the Asian Financial Crisis (1997), the SARS outbreak (2003), and policy frameworks from the World Intellectual Property Organization affecting touring exhibitions and artists' mobility.
The Network maintains a secretariat modeled on consortiums such as the International Council of Museums and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), with a rotating steering committee drawn from representatives of National Endowment for the Arts, Japan Arts Council, Ministry of Culture (China), Ministry of Culture (India), Ministry of Culture (Indonesia), and civic bodies like the Asia-Europe Foundation. Governance instruments reference agreements akin to the 1995 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage for exhibition protocols and draw on standards used by the International Labour Organization for artist residency conditions. Financial oversight aligns with grant practices familiar to the Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and regional banks.
Programming spans itinerant exhibitions, artist residencies, curator exchanges, professional development workshops, and public outreach that link entities such as the Sotheby's Institute of Art, Royal Academy of Arts, National Gallery Singapore, Serpentine Galleries, and the Mori Art Museum. Long-term initiatives include cross-border touring exhibitions coordinated with the Asia Society Museum, joint research with the Getty Research Institute, cataloging projects with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and conservation training in collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Training modules reference methodologies from the British Museum conservation labs and archival practices from the National Archives of India and National Archives of Japan.
The Network partners with international festivals and cultural institutions such as the Sydney Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Singapore Biennale, Shanghai Biennale, Gwangju Biennale, Yokohama Triennale, and city cultural agencies like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metropolitan Government. It collaborates with academic centers including the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Columbia University, Harvard University Asia programs, and research centers such as the Asia Art Archive and Asia Research Institute. Public-private partnerships involve auction houses like Christie's, corporate supporters including Temasek Holdings-backed foundations, and philanthropy from families linked to institutions such as the Lee Foundation and Aga Khan Development Network.
The Network has influenced museum practices among institutions such as the National Museum of Korea, M+ Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and regional biennales including the Dhaka Art Summit and Gwangju Biennale, prompting discourse in journals like ArtAsiaPacific, Artforum, Third Text, Journal of Cultural Economy, and coverage in outlets such as The Straits Times, South China Morning Post, The Hindu, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Critical responses cite successes in mobility and capacity-building while noting debates around cultural sovereignty exemplified in controversies that involved institutions like the British Museum and repatriation discussions with the National Museum of the Philippines and National Museum of Indonesia.
Asia Art Archive Asia Society Asian Cultural Council ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information Gwangju Biennale Dhaka Art Summit M+ Museum National Gallery Singapore Venice Biennale British Council Japan Foundation Korean Cultural Centre Asia-Europe Foundation Smithsonian Institution Getty Research Institute ArtAsiaPacific Prince Claus Fund Asia Foundation Rockefeller Foundation Ford Foundation Aga Khan Development Network Temasek Holdings Lee Foundation
Category:Arts organizations based in Asia Category:International cultural organizations