2016 Asialink Arts Residents Announced

Asialink Arts is delighted to announce its successful 2016  Arts Residents.

From 227 eligible applications to the program nation-wide, Asialink Arts was able to award residencies to 33 individual artists, including 22 grants to Australian arts professionals to Asia. Reciprocal residencies were awarded to 6 visual artists between Japan and the ACT, Taiwan and WA, and Korea and NSW. In addition, 3 models from Asialink’s Arts Residency Laboratory will be tested, involving 5 arts professionals from Australia, China and Indonesia.

The Asialink Arts residency program facilitates residencies for arts professionals working in the fields of writing, performing arts, visual arts, arts management, and multidisciplinary practitioners. The contribution of up to $12,000 each will provide recipients with professional development opportunities in Asia, and enable the sharing of skills, knowledge and networks with local host communities.

27 of the successful residents have been matched with one of Asialink’s 55 host partners; ranging from publishing houses, private galleries, theatres, universities and dedicated arts residency spaces. Four residents will be the first to trial new Asialink host partners including Organhaus in Chongqing, Sanskriti Foundation in New Delhi, Tenjinyama Art Studio in Sapporo and Grey Projects in Singapore.

Asialink Arts also accepts self-initiated proposals, and this year Michael Candy (NSW), will journey to Kathmandu to work with the Robotics Association of Nepal in a structured series of cybernetic experiments and workshops exploring humanity’s spiritual synergy with technology. Like Michael, this year several Asialink Arts Residents will use their residencies to explore the intersections between art and other disciplines. Baden Pailthorpe (NSW) will collaborate with ultra-technologist collective teamLab in Tokyo, while writer Stephanie Lai (VIC) will explore the impacts of climate change on cultural traditions at Grey Projects in Singapore

A new addition to the Reciprocal Residency Program is Asialink’s first ever craft-focused residency supported by Arts ACT. Takeyoshi Mitsui (Japan) will spend 6 weeks at Canberra Glassworks where he will develop new glass art informed by his experience of Australian flora and fauna. In exchange, Canberra artist John White (ACT) will develop new works influenced by local inventions and innovations surrounding Toyama Glass Studio.

Launched in 2012, Asialink’s ‘Arts Residency Laboratory’ will test 3 innovative models of cultural and artistic exchange this year, including Kerjasama: Reciprocal Residency between Australia and Indonesia. ‘Kerjasama’ or ‘Collaborate’ was piloted in 2014 and has become a crucial platform for Asialink to increase awareness of the Arts Residency Program to Indigenous applicants. In this grant round for 2016, Asialink saw a 150% increase in applications from Indigenous Australian applicants. Tony Albert (NSW) and Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (Indonesia) were selected for the exchange that sees both artists spend 6 weeks together at Artback NT in Alice Springs, before heading to Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta.

Director of Asialink Arts, Lesley Alway says of the program, “The residency program is fundamental to the mission of Asialink Arts in delivering both cultural engagement and international capability opportunities with Asia. We now have a residency alumni of over 800 arts professionals who are making an ongoing contribution to our vision of a deeply engaged and Asia capable cultural sector able to make a contribution to the cultural life of the region.”

The successful 2016 Arts Residents will gather at Asialink on 18 February for a One Day Asia-Capability Orientation where they will meet past Asialink Residency Alumni, and will be formally welcomed and inducted to the program.

A list of Asialink’s 2016 Arts Residents follows. All are available for interview.

Full profiles of the Arts Residents can be viewed online here

More Information

Louise Joel

+61 3 90359605

  • Arts