Southeast Asia Art Symposium & Festival

[Jai Dee]

SOUTHEAST ASIA PERFORMANCE ART SYMPOSIUM

AND ASIATOPIA PERFORMANCE ART FESTIVAL

November 24-27, 2005

Queens Gallery, Rachadamnern Road, Bangkok

The symposium and performances are open to the public. Admission is free.

Concrete House/Empower Foundation and Bangkok Art & Cultural Centre project are pleased to present the first Southeast Asia Performance Art Symposium, Queens Gallery, Rachadamnern Road, 25-27 November, 10.00 am. - 5.00 pm.

The symposium is an important gathering for regional networking and discussion with an opportunity for exploring potential new collaborations within the regional cultural communities. With the symposium, Live Art performances will link the facilitated dialogues and the practice of Performance Art.

The three-day symposium will be filled with dynamic discussions on performance art’s role in social change, critical art in Southeast Asia, traditions and trends, gender issues, and ideas for artistic collaborations. The themes of ‘forces of change’ and ‘context and communication’ will stimulate all participants to think deeply about what Performance Art constitutes in the increasingly complex and fastchanging cityscapes of Southeast Asia and how it has developed in relation to the rest of the world during the past twenty years.

There will also be an exhibit of materials (posters, photos, reviews) concerning the practice of Performance Art in the region by invited artists. One the final day of the symposium, video and networking sessions will be conducted to ensure regional action in the development of Performance Art.

And Asiatopia Performance Art Festival, back for the seventh time, will once again feature edginess, eclecticism and more interventions in its presentation of Performance Art. Not your average art event, the performances will take place after the symposium during 25-27 November from 7.00 - 10.00 pm. at Santi Chaiprakarn Park on Phra Athit Road, Banglampoo.

On 25 November, there will be the keynote speech by Dr Apinan Poshyananda, Director General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, with the topic “Strengthening Regional Artistic Community”.

With a truly regional flavour, prominent speakers at the symposium include Senator Kraisak Choonhavan (Thailand), Lee Weng Choy (Singapore), Rochit tanedo (Philippines), Ly Daravuth (Cambodia), Heru Hikayat (Indonesia), Tran Luong (Vietnam) and Ray Langenbach (Malaysia).

The symposium and performances are open to the public. Admission is free.