Introduction:

For the true artists who have just entered the international field, to create is more than a “hobby” but a “need,” an absolute existential necessity. This “need” brought some of them to Europe, a territory of profound human accumulation and rich cultural resources, at the beginning of their artistic career, eager to hone their works in a freer and more inclusive environment, and to spar with first-class international peers in terms of technique and creativity. Yet this can only be achieved through concrete actions, i.e., practice, exploration, and experience. Hence, what they all need is to be actively engaged in the creative process of the European system. 

However, creating in a foreign country can be alien to them. They need to persist with the will to create and initiate projects in the European operational system, to raise funds, establish connections, execute the actual work, and to publicize their creation. How to implement a practical plan step-by-step in a European context? This will be the first issue to be discussed in detail in our common room for Europe-based creators, addressing specific issues in a pragmatic approach. The second issue is artistic creation itself: each artist should arrive at the Common Room with her/his upcoming project. To all probability, our creations will resonate with certain urgent issues and aesthetic interests. We will be the first spectators, asking each artist important questions to push their limits.

We will pioneer the Common Room this December and initiate a conversation about common issues through a pragmatic approach. Starting from the specific difficulties encountered in the practice of creative projects in Europe, artists will be invited to share and evaluate their upcoming projects. By seeking to touch the essence of the issues in a spirit of simplicity, directness, and respect, we all may also find among this young conference some trusted future collaborators. Therefore, this will serve as a starting point for practitioners, as a Europe-based Artists Group will be established on the day of the conference, which aims to provide a sustainable platform to initiate further talks and collaborations regularly. 

Here is the actual program for our debut reunion. We will set up an introductory webpage for all participants about two weeks before the conference, where each artist will introduce him/herself by presenting previous actual artworks in a recommended form of videos. In light of this entry point, invitees may become familiar with each other’s materials and directions of creation. About a week in advance, we will announce an issuing bank that consists of questions raised and collected individually from each participant, and so we will set the highlights of the discussion and prepare autonomously for the conversation. In the course of the conference, a moderator will launch the discussion and accompany the artists during the 90 minutes. Indeed, this would be too short a session to draw any conclusion on such challenging matters; Yet it can be an efficient round-about where artists reflect collectively on their previous and next concrete move.

Time:

• 13: 30 PM – 15: 00 PM, Dec. 8th

Curators:

• Yumin Ao, Wei Arianne Wang, and Yinfu Gao

Timeline:

• 2022.11.20 Deadline for soliciting artists’ applications. APPLY NOW!
• 2022.11.25 Opening of the INTRODUCTORY WEBPAGE for participating artists.
• 2022.12.02 Publicity of an ISSUE BANK for further discussion.
• 2022.12.08 Online forum starts.

Application: 

• Thank you for being interested in the Artists Forum. If you are an artist of Asian origin and based in Europe, if you want to participate in the Artists Forum and converse with other artists about common issues through a pragmatic approach, please apply via Google Formulare and submit the requested materials. The application deadline is Nov. 20th, 2022.

Selection:

• When the selection of 10 Europe-based Asian artists is made, the coordinators shall, within five (5) business days, inform all applicants of the name of the successful applicants via email. Invited artists shall cooperate with the coordinators to proceed with the showcase on the introductory page and collect questions.