Press release
Over 35 organisations and institutions from Asia and Europe gathered in Prague, Czech Republic in early June for the first ever meeting of mobility funders from Asia and Europe, organised by the Czech Arts and Theatre Institute, Kelola Foundation (Indonesia) and On the Move with the support of the Creative Encounters programme of ASEF – Asia-Europe Foundation and Arts Network Asia (with the support of Trans Europe Halles). Local partners were the Czech Ministry of Culture and the Czech Centres. The participants included national institutions, arms’ length organisations and cultural organisations from Asia and Europe, directly funding mobility or working as “intermediaries” or fundraisers for artists willing to work internationally.
International mobility is an increasingly common feature of the professional paths of most artists and cultural professionals, in all fields and disciplines. International experiences, ranging from touring and exhibitions to residencies and training, develop as a result of creative needs, professional and personal networks, working opportunities and interests in other cultures. A number of public institutions in Europe and in Asia support cultural mobility, often following specific political guidelines and focusing on a specific geographic area; organic connections between Asia and Europe however remain mainly limited to bilateral exchanges and contexts are very different from the economic and managerial points of view.
The two-day meeting allowed the participants to discuss and exchange, through working groups and plenary sessions, about existing funding opportunities, trends and possible future developments for the support to the international mobility of artists and cultural professionals in and between the two regions. A set of issues was addressed, including: do existing programmes allow meaningful encounters to artists from different cultures? Which room is there for a more international opening and a stronger connection between Asia and Europe? Which role can grassroots organisations play in ensuring that artists live fruitful and enriching experiences, with positive impacts also on local communities and societies at large? Are reciprocity and equal exchanges possible when political agendas and economic conditions are very different between the origin and the destination contexts?
A public forum on June 6th, afternoon concluded the works and presented the main outcomes to an audience of artists and cultural professionals from Czech Republic and Slovakia.
This event was co-organised by the Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague, the Kelola Foundation - Indonesia and On the Move. This project was supported by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Arts Network Asia (ANA) and Trans Europe Halles (TEH) as part of the programme Creative Encounters: Cultural Partnerships between Asia and Europe.
For the programme, click here
For the list of participants, click here
For the background document of the event, click here
For the powerpoint presentations of 20 mobility funding models and experiences, click here.
For the final key findings and ideas for follow-ups, click here
Read also some post-event articles by Diane Dodd, Coordinator Europe for IFACCA and Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio for Culture360.org
as well as interviews:
For the photos of the event, click here
