By Honorary Reporter Suthida Chang from Thailand

(ASEAN Foundation)

Aug. 8 is ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Day, an occasion designated in 1967. Korea and ASEAN have recently boosted their ties, and this art project is just one of their many collaborations

Marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), KONNECT ASEAN was launched in January this year as a three-year arts and cultural program managed by the ASEAN Foundation with support from the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund. The project signals both ASEAN's eagerness to revitalize its once-integral role in contemporary visual arts and Korea's drive to establish closer ties with the region.

The program honors Asian artists and aims to bring greater awareness to artistic expressions in the region. It celebrates the arts using diverse platforms and scopes to engage a range of stakeholders.

Though launched this year, KONNECT ASEAN has an exciting lineup of initiatives and partnerships including stories of Southeast Asian artists during the pandemic. It highlights the power of arts and culture in connecting communities, especially given fewer human-to-human connections due to social distancing. 

(Virtual360 Konnect)

The foundation is partnering with the Asia-Europe Foundation to roll out an online residency series, the Virtual360 Konnect program. The latter targets arts professionals early in their careers from Korea and ASEAN and serves as a platform to build virtual connections and support online collaborations for young artists in the region through cultural exchange.

By empowering regional artists, KONNECT ASEAN is paving the way for an arts renaissance that showcases the region's arts and culture to the world.

chaey0726@korea.kr


*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.