SEA Art Residency Meeting, GRTCC

Las Casas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan & Manila spaces: Bellas Artes Projects/The Outpost, 98B and 1335 Mabini

SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART RESIDENCIES MEETING 2018

Background:

The success of the Res Artis Meeting of Southeast Asian Arts Residencies at Rimbun Dahan in July 2016 has led Green Papaya Art Projects to convene the second Southeast Asian Art Residencies Meeting in Roxas City this 2018. The four-day meeting in Malaysia brought together 20 representatives from 19 residencies and organizations from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as Australia and China. Facilitated by Jean-Baptiste Joly, founding and artistic director of Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany and Res Artis board member, the meeting was made possible with funding and support from Goethe-Institut Malaysia and Rimbun Dahan, an arts center outside Kuala Lumpur which runs one of the oldest arts residencies in the region.

It was the first Res Artis regional meeting of arts residencies in Southeast Asia. The aim was to host a meeting informed by the different and similar cultural, economic, and political contexts of Southeast Asian countries. It was a rare opportunity for residencies in the region to engage and share without following the lead of a European, Australian, or even East Asian residency models, to focus on issues closer to home. It will also be the first for the Philippines to host a regional arts residencies meeting situated within the context of strengthening arts communities outside of Metro Manila. It is likewise held as one of the major lead-up events of VIVA EXCON CAPIZ 2018, the longest-running artist-led biennial festivals in the country.

VIVA EXCON CAPIZ 2018 THEME: LUPAD

After 28 years, VIVA EXCON finally lands in Roxas City, the capital of Capiz. It may have taken a
while but the long wait is over. With the festival as runway, the arts community of Capiz is now ready to take off. The theme for VIVA EXCON 2018 lupad is a Hiligaynon word for take off or fly. This resonates with the local artists’ desire to step up along with the local government’s paradigm shift towards supporting arts and culture in the grassroots level by providing the basic infrastructure. Collectively, lupad also resonates with the Visayan art communities’ trajectory towards higher goals. As an artist-run biennale, VIVA EXCON 2018 aims to propel its communities in exploring alternative modes of economies, non-commercial approaches to production, experimental and less popular forms of practice, and relevant discourse.

What:

A meeting of art residencies for cross-disciplinary arts from all over the Southeast Asian region, with specific focus on local independent spaces, artists-run organizations and initiatives, and those situated in smaller cities and provinces.

Objective:

Provide a platform for interaction and engagement with international counterparts and potential partners, with a focus on developing local arts residency projects through sharing and discussions of experiences, strategies, issues, and challenges;

Provide an opportunity to re-examine concerns brought up by the previous dialogues in Rimbun Dahan which is to focus on practical and social aspects of cultural practice based on specific contexts; and, create mechanisms (like establishing a formal organisation) to build and strengthen existing networks among participants.

Where:

Gerry Roxas Training and Convention Center (GRTCC), Roxas City, Capiz

Dates:

April 19: Arrivals, Roxas City
April 20-22: SEA Art Residency Meeting, GRTCC
April 23: Back to Manila
April 23-24: Road trip (overnight) to Las Casas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan (optional)
April 24: Visit Manila spaces: Bellas Artes Projects/The Outpost, 98B and 1335 Mabini (optional)
April 25: Flight out to home countries

The Southeast Asian Art Residency Meeting is hosted by the Province of Capiz, Gerry Roxas Foundation and United Capizenos Foundation Inc. Convened by Green Papaya Art Projects, it is supported by Japan Foundation-Manila, Goethe Institut-Manila and Bellas Artes Projects/The Outpost, and endorsed by ResArtis- Worldwide Network of Artist Residencies.