Added into Asia-Art-Activism’s directory on March 1st 2023 (link below)
Asia-Art-Activism is an interdisciplinary and intergenerational network of artists, curators and academics investigating ‘Asia’, ‘art’ and ‘activism’ in the UK, through a sustained and expansive approach to research, dialogue, and practice. Expanding a conversation around ‘Asia’ as a contested paradigm as well as via the lived transnational narratives of its diasporas, migrant and resident communities, the network aims to attend to lesser known narratives of Asian artists and activists in the UK, and question Asian/Southeast Asian invisibility within institutional narratives of British art and politics through its multifaceted programme of exhibitions, public programming, social gatherings, and publications.
By examining discursive conditions for Asian artists and activists within a negotiation of decoloniality and solidarity with other protagonists of colour, Asia-Art-Activism aims to develop a greater understanding of alliances built with other artistic and civic movements. Underpinning this work is the belief that an intersectional and inclusive approach resists reductive cultural identity politics, and that spending time together is an opportunity to share different perspectives and methodologies, and also a political gathering of building resilience and joy.
AAA’s public programme includes sharing sessions, mini residencies, archive research workshops, screenings, and other live events including Oceans*A* Part, SEA Currents, AAA Radio (with Cuong Pham).
Annie Jael Kwan, founder of AAA, curated Being Present in 2019. A live art programme with AAA artists in response to the exhibition, Speech Acts: Reflection-Imagination-Repetition at the Manchester Art Gallery, that was then adapted as a digital programme for the Paul Mellon Centre’s British Art Studies 13 on London, Asia, Exhibitions, Histories.
In 2020 AAA launched their 2020 digital programme, Till We Meet Again IRL (produced and co-curated by Annie Jael Kwan alongside with Arianna Mercado, Cuong Pham and Howl Yuan).
Other projects include : Tools to Transform, an online resource for Asian and diaspora organising that received the European Cultural Foundation’s Culture of Solidarity grant in 2020, in partnership with DAMN*/Deutsche Asiat*innen, Make Noise! (DE) , Healing Justice London (UK), House of Saint Laurent Europe (DE), The Six Tones (VN/SE), Unthaitled (DE), Voices of Domestic Workers (UK).
Most recently, Asia-Art-Activism has launched their limited edition publication, ASIA-ART-ACTIVISM: Experiments in Care and Collective Disobedience – a polyvocal collection of original essays, texts and images by leading academics, artists, curators and activists, which explore questions of diaspora, collectivism, and solidarity in art practice, pedagogy, and theory.
An honest and heartfelt thank you to Annie Jael Kwan and Yarli Allison .