Conversations
Leadership Talk — Southeast Asia
Venue
Great Lawn, Art Park, West Kowloon Cultural District
Google Map
Date and time (HKT)
17 Oct (Thu) 12:00
Pass holder
FULLDAYSTUDENT
Full pass holders, Day pass holders and Students pass holders are eligible to attend
Language
Simultaneous interpretation is available in English, Cantonese and Putonghua

Topic: VITALITY WITHOUT INSTITUTION

Hear from key performing arts leaders from the Southeast Asian region about how different local scenes create, operate, and thrive, in an environment where infrastructural support systems for the arts are weak or near nonexistent.

Rebecca Kezia

Co-Initiator, Indonesia Producers Network of Performing Arts

Rebecca Kezia

Rebecca Kezia graduated from the University of Indonesia with a Bachelor's degree in the Faculty of Humanities. She has been involved in various curation, production and theatre writing projects, particularly related to the development of theatre scripts and productions in Indonesia. She has also participated in interdisciplinary programmes in dance, literature and ideas. This experience has sparked her interest in serving as an intermediary in the arts field, connecting with the public across diverse categories and genres.

Previously, Kezia worked as a programme manager at Komunitas Salihara (2015-2023) and as a member of the theatre committee of the Jakarta Arts Council (2020-2023). Currently, she works as an independent performing arts curator and producer.

Indonesia Producers Network of Performing Arts

The Indonesia Producers Network of Performing Arts in an open forum dedicated to fostering the growth of producership in Indonesia’s performing arts. It was established in 2022 as a collaborative initiative by performing arts curators at the Jakarta Arts Council and Yayasan Kelola, a grant body committed to supporting performing arts with a focus on arts management.

Co-initiated with the Jakarta Arts Countcil, held in Yogyakarta and Jakarta, the first edition of the series forum formulated a roadmap for the practice of theatre production in Indonesia and within the broader regional context of the performing arts scene in Southeast Asia. In 2024, the second edition will be held in Bali as part of the International Symposium on Performing Arts Ecosystem, aiming to further expand the mapping of production practice.

Sasapin Siriwanij

Artistic Director, Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM)

Sasapin Siriwanij

Sasapin Siriwanij is a Bangkok-based performing arts producer, curator and artist. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in English from the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University. With a decade-long career as a performer, director and producer at B-Floor Theatre, she is a core member who has gained expertise in movement-based performance practices. Her interests revolve around social critique and personal and social empowerment. Siriwanij currently serves as the Artistic Director of Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM), a position she has held since 2018. Additionally, she co-founded the Producers of Thai Performing Arts Network (POTPAN) and works as an independent theatre artist and international touring producer, notably with For What Theatre and Wichaya Artamat.

The Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting

Since 2017, the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM) has been fostering exchanges and networking among artists, practitioners and academic researchers to develop a community of Southeast Asian professionals and to connect with the international performing arts scene.

Since 2020, BIPAM has organised its performing arts meeting biannually and has expanded to become a Bangkok-based performing arts management service. Its all-female core collective of arts managers aims to invite the world to delve deeper into the various contexts of Southeast Asia and its ever-thriving diversity in performing arts. Additionally, BIPAM works to enhance the competence of local professionals through a series of initiatives, collaborations with local and international art organisations, and other arts management services.

Trà Nguyễn Bich

Founder, The Run

Trà Nguyễn Bich

Trà Nguyễn experiments with theatre, seeks ways to build infrastructure for it to support it. As former Acting Director of Sàn Art, the longest-running independent art space in Ho Chi Minh City, she has contributed to various educational programmes in visual arts. After that, Trà pursued an MFA in Dramatic Writing through a Fulbright scholarship. Trà has written and directed multiple performances that challenge traditional dramatic form on one hand, and on the other speak about the contemporary condition of human existence. Her independent initiative, The Run - A Theater Project, aims to engage interdisciplinary practitioners in theatre production, training and critical discussions in Vietnam. The project also strives to showcase Vietnamese performance-makers both locally and internationally.

The Run

Founded in 2018, The Run stands as the first independent and dedicated platform for experimental theatre in Vietnam. Engaging tools from diverse disciplines, it creates experimental theatre works, and initiates educational projects, collectively enriching the landscape for experimental theatre and performance in Vietnam. Led by theatre-maker Trà Nguyễn, The Run promotes a practice-driven explorative journey for local artists, helping them in reaching their full potential. Additionally, it serves as a hub for connection and collaborative opportunities, focusing on exchanges within Southeast Asia. The Run is currently co-facilitating a long-term training programme, and is planning an initiative for a convergence of Art and Science in 2025.

Sokhorn Yon

Programme Director, Cambodian Living Arts

Sokhorn Yon

Sokhorn Yon currently serves as a Programme Director of Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), and has been working for the organization for 11 years. Her role is to ensure the quality delivery of CLA’s programmes, including setting strategic direction for the organisation and managing programme operations. She regularly represents Cambodian Living Arts at international and regional festivals, forums, and performing arts markets. Her journey in this field has deepened her understanding of her country in terms of community and development, which is at the core of her interests.

Cambodian Living Arts (CLA)

CLA is a local non-profit organisation based in Cambodia with a mission to be a catalyst in a vibrant arts sector. Initially focused on reviving and preserving performing arts, the organisation shifted its focus in the 2010s to support younger artists. Since 2017, in response to a systemic lack of resources and support for artists and cultural workers, CLA has been providing small grants, conducting creative skills workshops, and supporting the creation of new works. Today, CLA supports artists and organisations across all art forms to strengthen the entire arts sector.

www.cambodianlivingarts.org

E-Jan Tan (Moderator)

Founder and Director, In Situ

E-Jan Tan

E-Jan Tan is the Founder and Director of In Situ Arts Management Consultancy,specialising in facilitating international exchange and collaboration between Southeast Asia and the world at large. She is also the Co-Founder and Creative Producer of Toccata Studio, a not-for-profit incubator dedicated to creative research and development. E-Jan has been invited as a panelist on international platforms, including the IETM Satellite meeting, PAMS in South Korea, and TPAM in Japan. As a proud alumna of ISPA Global Fellowship and Arts Leadership program by the Australia Council for the Arts, E-Jan serves as a planning team member of the Asian Producers’ Platform (APP), IETM Global Connector, and is pursuing an MA in Arts and Culture Management with Lüneburg University, Germany.

Photo credit: WeyYinn

In Situ

In Situ Arts Management Consultancy was founded by E-Jan Tan, a creative producer and arts consultant based in Malaysia. “Situ” is about placemaking, referring to “site”, “situate”, and a “local position” (essentially, “here”) in Bahasa Malaysia. However, “Situ” also means “there”. These meanings play against one another in ways that encapsulate the collaborative entanglement in facilitating art in the present and future that makes “t/here”.

In Situ plays a role in building robust networks of Malaysian and Southeast Asian arts managers, bridging connections locally and internationally. The consultancy focuses on capacity building, enhancing international exchange and creating networking opportunities for Southeast Asian and global art practitioners within and beyond the region.

Schedule for Leadership Talks

15 Oct 2024 (Tue) 16 Oct 2024 (Wed) 17 Oct 2024 (Thu) 18 Oct 2024 (Fri)
1045 – 1200
  • Kenneth Fok
    Chairman, Hong Kong Arts Development Council
  • Betty Fung
    CEO, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
  • Eve Tam
    Deputy Director (Culture), Leisure and Cultural Services Department
  • Wilfred Wong
    Vice Chairman, Culture Commission
1045 – 1115
  • Pavla Petrová
    Director, Arts and Theatre Institute
1045 – 1200
  • Sultan AlBazie
    CEO, The Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission
  • Ashraf Alfagih
    Cultural Advisor, The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)
  • Bill Bragin
    Executive Artistic Director, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
  • Umberto Fanni
    Director General & Artistic Director, Royal Opera House Muscat
  • Farah Mattar
    Director of Culture & Arts, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities
  • Cindy Hwang (Convenor)
    Founder & President, InPulse Creatives
1045 – 1115
  • H.R.H Princess Celenhle Dlamini
    Chairperson, National Arts Council of South Africa
1115 – 1200
  • Jan Briers
    President, European Festivals Association
1115 – 1200
  • Kai Amberla
    Executive Director, Finland Festivals
  • Vigdis Jakobsdottir
    Artistic Director & CEO, Reykjavik Arts Festival
1200 – 1245
  • Geng Jun
    President, Shenzhen A.C. Orange
  • Guo Wenpeng
    Deputy Secretary, Executive Director & General Manager, Poly Culture Group Corporation Limited
  • Li Jinsheng
    President, China Arts and Entertainment Group Limited
1200 – 1245
  • Roy Luxford
    Creative Director, Edinburgh International Festival
  • John McGrath
    Artistic Director & Chief Executive, Factory International
1200 – 1245
  • Rebecca Kezia
    Co-Initiator, Indonesia Producers Network of Performing Arts
  • Sasapin Siriwanij
    Artistic Director, Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM)
  • Trà Nguyễn Bich
    Founder, The Run
  • Sokhorn Yon
    Programme Director, Cambodian Living Arts
  • E-Jan Tan (Moderator)
    Founder & Director, In Situ
1200 – 1245
  • Katherine Connor
    Executive Director, PAC Australia
  • John Kotzas
    Chief Executive, Queensland Performing Arts Centre
  • Annette Shun Wah
    Artistic Director, OzAsia Festival (2020-2023)
  • Douglas Gautier AM (Moderator)
    Chairman, Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres; CEO and Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival Centre

Remarks

  • Simultaneous interpretation is available in English, Cantonese and Putonghua.
  • Holders of the HKPAX Full Pass, Day Pass and Student Pass can access all sessions of Conversations. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online pre-registration is required.