Singapore | Southeast Asian Arts Forum 2024

UOB-NAFA Southeast Asian Arts Forum 2024 will mark its 5th anniversary and this year is held in conjunction with ADPRex, on 2 August 2024 in Singapore and online.

In concord with the theme of precarity, the 5th edition of the Southeast Asian Arts Forum will once again evaluate questions surrounding the meaningfulness of practice, the arts, and our communities amidst periods of uncertainty and conflict.

Following years of post-pandemic uncertainties and in the midst of global efforts in constructing the new normal in our everyday lives, we are faced yet again with the overwhelming surges of conflict, violence, and destruction. As the new facade which has defined the last few years of our lives, geopolitical conflicts have left a permanent impact upon humanity in general. The fact of the matter is that war scars a place and its people long after it is over.

Amidst these turbulent times, our minds are often occupied with questions of whether the worst might be over, or has it just begun. Either way, how we respond as a cultural community is essential in potentially making a difference. The way we express and respond as a cultural community is, hence, a topic worth exploring. How we express the pain of loss and the hope for a future without it can be a powerful driving force behind creative output when we collectively begin to heal or work towards healing.

Some of the questions include:

• What are the different ways that art can pave the way to chart changes in turbulent times?
• Is art still relevant when people are killing one another, and humanity is powerless to prevent it?
• How do art practice and research give form to or disrupt the changing dynamics of conflict?
• What is the role of creativity and technology when representing war and narrative in films?

Speakers come from Lao PDR, Singapore, the Philippines, Viet Nam, and Myanmar. 

Read the programme and register here