ASEF LinkUp 2024 | Spotlight in Prague

A month after officially ending the second edition of ASEF LinkUp | Asia-Europe Cultural Diplomacy Lab, what were the main highlights of the Lab?

A group of 18 arts professionals and representatives from the government sector, spanning the backgrounds of performing arts, cultural policy, cultural heritage, visual arts and more, “linked-up” to explore what is needed for successful international cultural cooperation. What are the current challenges in working internationally? And, most importantly, what do we want to see for the future for Asia-Europe cultural relations?

These 18 professionals gathered in Prague, Czech Republic from 10 to 13 June, and the 4 days were filled with discussions, site visits and exchanges on the current state of international cultural cooperation and soft power between Asia and Europe.

Read on to find out some of the thought-provoking discussions and exchanges that took place.  

Day 1 – “What principles should orientate international cultural cooperation?”

Participants were welcomed by ASEF's Culture department Director Valentina Riccardi, along with Martina Pecková Černá, Head of Perform Czech/ International Cooperation at the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI).  

1. ASEF and the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) co-organised the second edition of ASEF LinkUp, a meeting point for 18 selected participants from the cultural and government sectors to combine knowledge and approaches from Asia and Europe and broaden new perspectives to cross-regional relations © Adéla Vosičková

The first session revolved around principles that the participants shared when talking about international cultural cooperation. In pairs and groups, the participants took turns sharing their perspectives and experiences to find a common ground. A few of the common values that came up were: 

• Equity of opportunity and access – looking at (re)balancing the exchanges between the Global North and South and giving equal weightage to every voice 
• Mutual understanding and learning – developing an openness and willingness to learn from one another 
• Taking time to build relations and trust with one another

2. Discussions on principles that guide international cultural cooperation © Adéla Vosičková

A part of the Lab also focuses on giving participants an opportunity to experience the cultural landscape of the city we are in. There were cultural visits to the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU), a modern, university-level art school and Municipal House, where the Prague Symphony Orchestra frequently performs.

Day 2 – “Could you help me...”

On day 2, through a Case Clinic format, the participants worked through some real-world challenges they faced in working internationally and engaged the collective wisdom of the group to find suggestions, solutions for next steps in moving the work forward.

One pertinent challenge that resonated with majority of the group was the need to optimise resources and the needs of funders to create the most impact and value from a project. Does a large-scale event necessarily mean a big impact? How can this impact be measured? As aptly pointed out by one of the participants, 

“numbers are not a good indicator of impact”.

Other challenges that were highlighted include addressing the imbalance of capacity building, mobility privileges between Asia and Europe and finding the time for artistic research and development amidst programming.

In summary, it seems that the overarching challenge faced by the arts sector is finding the right balance and measures to ensure that efforts and resources lead to meaningful and equitable impact. 

Indeed, “art work is hard work” as quoted by one of our participants.

To round off the day, ASEFLinkUp participants were treated to a visit at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU). As one of the oldest arts colleges in Prague, the institution plays a vital role in establishing a modern Czech culture of fine art.

Day 3 – "What do I want the future of international cultural cooperation to look like?" 

For the penultimate day of the Lab, Head of European Studies Department from Charles University Prague, Dr Eliška Tomalová led the participants through a workshop on exploring the complexities of cultural diplomacy in research, teaching and practice.

The participants then spent their day pondering about what they would like to see for future international cultural cooperation, what needs to change and how can we get there? Recommendations relating to the domains of policy-making, evaluation and impact measurement, capacity building were brought up by the group.

4. Participants were encouraged to take on social learning roles, such as Agenda Activists, Community Keepers and Social Reporters. Here's a quick reset in between sessions facilitated by our Community Keepers © Adéla Vosičková

Amongst the suggestions, what’s clear is that we must move beyond the instrumentalisation of arts and culture for political aims and bring the humanistic aspects of culture to the forefront, to offer enduring impacts towards attaining the futures that we want to see.

This includes recognising the intrinsic value of the arts and culture, listening and amplifying the voices of diverse practitioners, respecting their unique working methods and approaches and much more. It may also require thinking outside of the box and prioritising the working process of cultural projects – allowing policymakers and other stakeholders witness the challenges, feelings, experiences and stories that grassroots practitioners encounter.

Day 4 – It's a wrap!

On the last day, the group was hosted by the Ministry of Culture for one final discussion and took the stage to presenting their recommendations for a future soft power and cultural cooperation between Asia and Europe.

5. Presentation of findings on the future orientations of Asia-Europe cultural diplomacy © Adéla Vosičková

A visit to Pilsen was made to mark the end of the Lab, with a rare display of Indonesian puppets and hearing first hand from the organisers of the Skupova Plzen festival and their collaborations with Asia.

The last 4 days marked the start of new connections, conversations and collaborations and pointed at early steps towards some call for change for the future narrative of international cultural cooperation.

Did the second edition of the Lab succeed in advocating for alternative understandings of and new forms of cultural relations? Only time will tell. Meanwhile however, the Lab proved to be a fertile ground to hear a whole gathering of practitioners who are passionate about the betterment of the sector acknowledge the gaps and imbalances in cultural diplomacy.

Stay tuned for the final statement from our 18 professionals on advocating for further international cultural cooperation!