Curators tour: Art connections to help build understanding of Asia

Three curators are on a Foundation tour in China and South Korea in August where they will gain new perspectives on the contemporary arts scenes and explore ways to strengthen New Zealand’s art links to Asia.

The curators will spend three weeks visiting leading art museums, galleries and artist spaces in South Korea and China. They will build their professional networks and explore possible future collaborations and artists exchanges. The programme includes visits to major international art festivals such as the Gwangju Biennale and Media City Seoul Biennale, both in South Korea.

Creative New Zealand and Asia New Zealand Foundation have been running tours to Asia since 2010, enabling New Zealand curators to visit leading contemporary art institutions and meet with directors, curators and international colleagues in the region.

The 2016 participants are:

Chloe Geoghegan, gallery director at Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Dunedin

Gallery director Chloe Geoghegan, Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Dunedin

Geoghegan plans to use the tour to develop a three-week summer residency and three-week exhibition with public programmes in 2017. “Finding my own curatorial direction in Aotearoa has been challenging – being educated in Western philosophies but interested in other perspectives here in the Asia Pacific region. This opportunity will be an essential chance to re-route my curatorial compass – to look closer to home for better ways to reflect our community in future projects.”

Ioana Gordon-Smith, curator, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland

Curator Ioana Gordon-Smith, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland

Gordon-Smith hopes to better understand the relationship between the Pacific and Asia with an eye towards possible artistic collaborations between artists from the two regions. She hopes to meet with artists negotiating issues of diaspora and migration as well as artists employing non-Western artistic strategies. She is also interested in viewing Asian art within its own context, and would like to gain an understanding from contemporary Korean and Chinese artists of socio-political issues in the region.

Balamohan Shingade, manager and curator at Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge Arts and Culture, Auckland

Manager and curator Balamohan Shingade, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge Arts and Culture, Auckland

Shingade hopes to connect and forge long-term relationships with future collaborators in China and Korea. As well as exploring opportunities for exchange, he hopes to develop his curatorial practice and increase his awareness of the artistic scenes in China and Korea. He also hopes to better serve the high percentage of established, resident and new immigrant citizens of Asia in the arts and culture of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Asia New Zealand Foundation’s director of culture, Jennifer King, says selected applicants need to demonstrate a long-term strategy for engagement with Asia and an interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration. “The curators will develop deep knowledge of the contemporary art scenes of Korea and China and their relevance for New Zealand audiences. They’ll be able to pass on that knowledge once they’re back, enabling more art from Asia to be shown in New Zealand.”

Participating curators have also helped connect New Zealand artists to galleries in Asia, opening their works up to an international audience. “The tours have been enormously helpful raising New Zealand’s profile in the Asia-Pacific arts scene.”

Creative New Zealand Senior Manager Cath Cardiff echoes this sentiment. “This tour aligns with our focus on building stronger artistic and cultural connections in Northeast Asia. We hope that it will lead to future exchange or presentation opportunities in the region for our artists and practitioners. We’re pleased to partner with Asia New Zealand Foundation once again to help New Zealand curators develop their knowledge, profile and networks in Asia.”

Contact:
Rebecca Palmer
Asia New Zealand Foundation media adviser
027 226 8707
rpalmer@asianz.org.nz