Creative New Zealand initiative to support artistic connections with Asia

Creative New Zealand is introducing a new $1.5 million initiative focused on building stronger artistic and cultural connections with North East Asia over the next three years.

The Focus on Asia initiative will provide New Zealand artists with more opportunities to present new work in Asia, exchange artistic and cultural practices, and develop audiences, markets and networks for New Zealand arts in targeted Asian countries.

“Arts activity across Asia is vibrant, collaborative and diverse, and we want to be a part of it. We believe that offering New Zealand artists the opportunity to develop their practice and professional networks in the region will enrich our arts offering and attract new audiences,” says Creative New Zealand Chair Dick Grant.

“This new initiative recognises the artistic and cultural opportunities for New Zealand and Asian artistic exchange and acknowledges the increasing ethnic diversity of the New Zealand population. It takes a strategic view of our artistic activity in Asia by expanding existing successful programmes and introducing new ones under one overall approach. It will strengthen the image which New Zealand enjoys in Asia, and support important cultural linkages.”

An initial $1.5 million has been allocated over the first three years of the five-year initiative to support:

increased presentation opportunities for new art work in Asia and New Zealand

artistic and cultural exchange between New Zealand artists and selected Asian partners

the development of audiences and markets for New Zealand arts in Asia.

“The initiative will initially target China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. They have established infrastructure and in most cases government support for us to build on. Many of them host international festivals, biennales, events and residency programmes across a range of artforms, and have an appetite for work from New Zealand.”

Creative New Zealand is pleased to announce two new opportunities under the Focus on Asia initiative as follows:

Up to $3,000 will be available for travel expenses for up to three New Zealand performing arts producers to attend the 2014 Performing Arts Market Seoul (PAMS) in Korea, this October. Expressions of interest close Wednesday 20 August 2014. More on attending PAMS 2014

A co-commissioning fund to incentivise collaborative projects between New Zealand and Asian artists and arts organisations. The Asia/New Zealand Co-commissioning Fund will offer a total of $750,000 over the next three financial years. Applications for the first round close on Monday 20 October 2014. More on the Asia Co-commissioning Fund

Focus on Asia will include some successful programmes currently delivered with the help of key partners such as Asia New Zealand Foundation.

Through this partnership existing opportunities such as artists’ residencies and the Curators’ Tour to Asia will continue to be supported. This September curators Bruce Phillips (Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts), Charlotte Huddleston (St Paul St Gallery) and Jamie Hanton (University of Canterbury) will travel to South Korea, Taiwan and Japan under the 2014 Curators’ Tour to Asia. They will build their professional networks, develop new work, and explore opportunities for future collaborations, exhibitions and artist exchanges.