East Asia, a Curatorial Practice in Progress: A Preliminary Investigation on the International Dimension of NCAF Production Grants to Independent Curators in Visual Arts, 2012-2019

I.     Introduction

The research subjects of this study are the curatorial projects that received the Production Grants to Independent Curators in Visual Arts from The National Culture and Arts Foundation (hereinafter referred to as "NCAF") in 2012-2019. This study focuses on the relationship of the development of the arts and cultural environment with the curatorial projects in East Asia during this period, attempts to identify the niche and strategy of Taiwanese curators in the East Asian environment, and considers the significance and role of NCAF grants in the international development of art, as well as possibilities for future policies.

NCAF launched the Production Grants to Independent Curators in Visual Arts (hereinafter referred to as "PGICVA") in 2004. In response to the increasingly international subject matters of Taiwanese curatorial projects, a grant for phase I, preliminary residential research projects, was added in 2012. After completing an international residential research project in phase I, grant recipients are able to plan an exhibition in phase II based on their research findings. The grant mechanism was revised in 2012 to respond to practical demands of curatorial practice (preliminary research) and to reflect the arts and cultural environment at the time: globalization deeply influenced not only curatorial methods, but also the subjects of these projects, and the frequency and depth of international interactions increased greatly. Consequently, this study chose to focus on the time period between 2012, the year in which the grant mechanism was revised, and 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The interviewees of this article are the core members of NCAF, including Chairman Mun-Lee Lin, Director Kung-Hsu Lan, and Director Yi-Ju Hung, as well as five curators that received PGICVA from 2012 to 2019, with their respective curatorial projects as the subjects of this research. They are: Dar-Kuen Wu, who curated Asia Anarchy Alliance in 2013; Chien-Hung Huang, who curated Discordant Harmony in 2014; Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng, who curated Towards Mysterious Realities in 2015; Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo, who curated Topography of Mirror Cities in 2016; and Shang-Lin Wu, who curated Moving and Migration - From A Place To Other in 2017.  The common denominator of these five exhibition projects is that they were all collaborative projects between East Asian countries, including North East Asian countries such as Japan and Korea, and South East Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Cambodia, among others. Not only did East Asian countries concretely collaborate on the exhibition formats of these five projects, but more importantly, the discourse and content of their curatorial subjects were highly related to "Asia" itself or the exploration of the international concept of the region of Asia. By examining and sorting out these five exhibition plans and their temporal contexts, this study revisits the curatorial practice in East Asia of this time, and considers the significance of NCAF grants in international development and possibilities for future policies.

II.     Changes in East Asian Politics and the Arts and Cultural Environment After 2010

East Asian art organizations and support systems (hardware/administrative systems)

After 2010, the modernization of arts and culture, which revolved around Europe and the United States, made a pronounced turn, and the focus returned to Asia, which regional developments gained prominence. Generally speaking, after basic arts and cultural foundations (such as large art organizations and grant mechanisms) gradually become more comprehensive, and as globalization occurs, art organizations begin to focus on building interpersonal relationships and software, such as setting up arts residencies or artist or scholar exchanges. In North East Asia, Japan and Korea took the lead. After World War II, society began rapidly modernizing with Europe and the U.S. as the forefront, so national art museums, large art organizations, and grant mechanisms all began developing in the 1980s. By 1990 to 2000, many large art organizations gradually achieved maturity, and around 2000, several large international biennials were launched successively, facilitating more movement and interaction between those in the arts sector.

In North East Asia, large international exhibitions included the Gwangju Biennale in 1995 (Korea) and the Shanghai Biennale in 1996 (China, organized by the Power Station of Art), while in Taiwan, the Taipei Biennial transitioned into an international biennial in 1998. After 2000, the Seoul Mediacity Biennale in 2000 (Korea), the Yokohama Triennale in 2001 (Japan), and the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in 2005 (Hong Kong) accelerated the forming of connections between art networks of Asian countries.

As for South East Asia, the first biennial was the Jakarta Biennale in 1974, but it was not officially internationalized until 2009. Other biennials include the Singapore Biennale in 2006, the Equator Project, which was launched by the Yayasan Biennale Yogyajarta in 2010, and the Dhaka Art Summit, which was launched in 2012 in Bangladesh.

By 2010, the foundation of the East Asian arts environment had been laid and grown to certain scale, and as globalization occurred, international connections between East Asian countries were made with increasing frequency. Other than various collaborative exhibitions between government-funded major art organizations, arts residencies and alternative spaces initiated by private enterprises thrived in the 2010s. Take the Japanese grant mechanism as an example: Japan Foundation, an international exchange fund which was originally established as subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1972, became an incorporated administrative agency in 2003. In its early years, it focused on exchanges with Europe and the U.S. After 2010, it strategically made connections with South East Asia, and in 2014, The Japan Foundation Asia Center was established as a new department of the organization to actively promote cultural exchanges and connections between Japan and other Asian countries, strategically exporting Japanese culture. Apart from nonprofit government organizations, changes occurred in the art market as well. As the art market internationalized, Art Basel, which was established in 1970 in Basel, Switzerland, opened a branch in Miami Beach, U.S. in 2002, and in 2013, it bought the already mature Art HK (established in 2007) and changed its name to Art Basel Hong Kong. Other than stimulating the development of the Asian art market, it accelerated multiple connections between Asian major exhibitions and the development of art markets.

As described above, by around 2010, the foundation for arts and cultural international exchanges in East Asia had taken shape. Other than the constant development of hardware, organizations, and major exhibition mechanisms, the establishment and diversification of the role of curators and the curatorial system, and the multifaceted development of artist exchange channels built the bedrock for future international exchanges in the arts profession.

The rise of the "Asia" issue (software/content wise)

In terms of politics, the world's focus began to shift towards Asia in around 2010. At the time, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Expo 2010 Shanghai China signaled the rise of China. After the U.S. President Barack Obama gave a speech about "returning to Asia" in Japan in November 2009, in 2011, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton represented the U.S. in the Sixth East Asia Summit, symbolizing the U.S.'s official return to Asia and how the U.S. would shift the focus of its diplomacy from the Middle East to East Asia and South East Asia. As for Taiwan, in 2016, within one month after President Tsai Ing-Wen took office, a New Southbound Policy Office was established, promoting economic trade partnerships between Taiwan and South East Asian countries. This New Southbound Policy was a continuation of Chen Shui-Bian's 2002 Go South Policy during his presidential term, with an increase in the number of partners and the scope of collaboration. In 2018, the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation was established with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). It styles itself as an organization in which the government and private sector work together to advance the New Southbound Policy and implement exchange and cooperation between Asian countries. It regularly organizes the Yushan Forum.

In the arts and cultural field, African American Okwui Enwezor was invited to serve as the artistic director of Annual Report: A Year in Exhibitions, the 2008 Gwangju Biennale. Here, the curatorial focus shifted from Europe and the U.S. to Asia, declaring the rise of Asia. In 2014, the Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong launched Mapping Asia, a research, exhibition, and a series of studies and lectures exploring Asian contemporary arts and culture. As international politics developed, the focus of curatorial discourse gradually shifted from Europe and the U.S. to Asia.

Response and adjustments of NCAF with regard to the international situation

Since its establishment in 1996, NCAF has continuously promoted and supported the development of Taiwan's arts and culture in various disciplines. NCAF has also made positive responses and timely adjustments in the face of changes in the international situation. In the interview, Chairman Mun-Lee Lin shared that since her days as director of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), she had been strongly aware of the necessity for Taiwan to establish links with the international art scene. Therefore, she began to actively promote the internationalization of the Taipei Biennial. For the 1998 Taipei Biennial, she boldly invited Fumio Nanjo from Japan to act as curator to bring such biennial onto the global stage. Ever since, the role of curator has gained unprecedented prominence in the contemporary art scene in Taiwan. Later, during her tenure as chairman of NCAF, Mun-Lee Lin sought to promote Taiwan's art to the world. In 2004, during her first term as chairman, she launched PGICVA, a break away from the framework of regular grants, to establish a more comprehensive support mechanism for large-scale curatorial projects.

Chairman Mun-Lee Lin said: "At the time, I saw clearly that professional curatorial talents require not only theoretical understanding, but also diversified skills to integrate and link resources and build professional networks. The nurturing of such curatorial talents, in fact, requires improvements and changes to the overall ecosystem, as well as a more strategic approach to enhance Taiwan's international visibility. I made these changes not only in response to global trends, but also because I believe that they can indirectly drive Taiwan's talents forward through the power of the international community."

According to the interview with Director Yi-Ju Hung, in response to the increasingly international subject matters of Taiwanese curatorial projects, a grant for phase I, preliminary residential research projects, was added in 2012 by NCAF after conducting action research with experts. After completing an international residential research project in phase I, grantee curators became able to plan an exhibition in phase II based on their research findings. The grant mechanism was revised in 2012 to respond to practical demands of curatorial practice (preliminary research) and to reflect the arts and cultural environment at the time: globalization deeply influenced not only curatorial methods, but also the subjects of these projects, and the frequency and depth of international interactions increased greatly. Since 2016, this curatorial project grant has been adjusted to meet the needs of the environment, allowing flexibility to apply for international residencies or to directly propose exhibition projects. This shows that the main directions of the project mechanism are the same, but could also be fine-tuned by carefully monitoring the needs and changes of the environment.

Director Yi-Ju Hung summarized the core purpose of PGICVA's transformation: "In the face of the changing international environment, NCAF has tirelessly reconsidered what role it can play—from the first stage in 2004, when PGICVA spurred the creation of large-scale exhibition projects, and the second stage in 2010, when the Curator's Incubator Program began the in-depth cultivation of curatorial talent, to the third stage in 2012-2013, when NCAF made adjustments and added international residential research—so that contemporary art in Taiwan can go global. This was also in line with the policy direction of NCAF."

Director Kung-Hsu Lan also mentioned that in the 15-16 years since PGICVA was launched in 2004, appropriate policy adjustments have been made based on changes to the artistic and cultural environment at home and abroad throughout different stages. In addition to adjusting PGICVA according to the international situation to become a grant mechanism more in line with global needs, NCAF has also implemented other projects. For instance, ARTWAVE - Taiwan International Arts Network (established in 2018) was launched during the second term of Chairman Mun-Lee Lin's tenure; and Taiwan Pavilion Expansion and Curators' Intensive Taipei (CIT)—International Conference and Workshops (launched in 2019) focus on the field of visual arts to vertically integrate existing policy tools, internally, and horizontally link professionals and groups from home and abroad, externally, in order to establish and strengthen the connection between Taiwan and the international community. The contents of these highly internationalized projects are made possible by the accumulation of the PGICVA experiences over the years, with the projects supporting and positively influencing each other. However, more time is needed to observe the structural impact of the suspension and delay of international schemes caused by the 2020 pandemic.

III.     Asia, a Curatorial Practice in Progress

Returning to the subjects of this study, with the global shifts described above as backdrop, each of the five curatorial projects that received NCAF PGICVA in 2012-2019 were carried out among East Asian countries, and networks of international collaboration were built.

Dar-Kuen Wu's Asia Anarchy Alliance was a continuation of his 2011 curatorial project 【People's Republic of China】—Republic without People. After the phase I residential research in Tokyo Wonder Site in 2012, an exhibition project was further developed. In the curatorial statement, Wu said that "Asia Anarchy Alliance (AAA) is a transnational 'mini movement' initiated by a group of Asian artists, an arts civil movement that is spurred on by real 'conceptions' of present-day Asia! Through questions posed by artworks, present-day social issues of Asia are brought up. AAA's radical consciousness is an attempt to trigger in Asia a field exercise that encompasses 'globalization' with 'local internationalism', and is also an 'internal revolution' carried out spontaneously by the Asian art world! We hope to provide a referential gateway for Asian contemporary art."

The "Asia Anarchy Alliance" was a virtual alliance that consisted of three organizations: the curator, under the name of "Post Republic of China", "New Government of Japan" (initiated by Japanese artist Kyohei Sakaguchi) and "Xijing Men" (a team formed by three artists from China, Japan, and Korea). This served as a framework for the exhibition, which purposefully touched on common issues of East Asian countries, such as the link between international trade and political and economic relations, insistence on opposing nuclear energy, and ideas such as free will and humanistic care. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese art world became more socially conscious, and other major events such as the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement in Taiwan indirectly influenced the subjects of the exhibition, so that it became more concerned about social practice.

Asia Anarchy Alliance (2013 PGICVA-funded exhibition), curated by Dar-Kuen Wu and exhibited at Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan 

Curated by Chien-Hung Huang, the exhibition Discordant Harmony was held in 2015-2016 at the initiative of the Goethe-Institut in Seoul, Korea; the subject of this topic was "Asia". Through the Goethe-Institut, Korean curator Sunjung Kim, Chinese curator Carol Yinghua Lu, Taiwanese curator Chien-Hung Huang, and Japanese curator Yukie Kamiya were invited to discuss on how to re-examine and understand present-day Asia through artistic expression. Discordant Harmony was derived from this concept. This arts project attempted to discuss the historical development and relationships of neighboring Asian countries, focusing in particular on the ideological discrepancies caused by the Cold War, the changes and the features that developed in this region in over a century, and the present state of the day-to-day of this region's inhabitants.

Discordant Harmony was co-curated by Korean curator Sunjung Kim, Japanese curator Yukie Kamiya, Taiwanese curator Chien-Hung Huang and Chinese curator Carol Yinghua Lu. The second exhibition of Discordant Harmony takes place at Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan  

Towards Mysterious Realities, curated by Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng, reconsidered the relationship between present-day Asia and the world. It included two exhibitions and one international forum, and the whole project lasted from 2016 to 2018. The exhibitions were held in Taipei and Seoul, while the forum was held in Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition considered the commonality between Asian countries, and their differences that were preserved despite this commonality. The curator examined Asia and the impact the Cold War experience had on present-day life, and rethought the ever-changing Asia and its modernity and contemporariness. In the curatorial statement it is written, "This exhibition focuses on Asia. The concept of Asia is not only relevant to geopolitics and cultural identity, because in this globalized age, Asia has become the fuel that propels the engine of the capitalist market, and also an arena where political powers clash under this situation. Asia has come into focus because of various crises instigated by historical events, resembling a faint trace of the geopolitical powers which contended against each other in the Asian island chain during the Cold War, now once again risen to the surface, induced by a new wave of competition between political powers, economies, and cultures."

Towards Mysterious Realities (2015 PGICVA-funded exhibition), curated by Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng and exhibited at Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea 

Moving and Migration - Stories From A Place To Other was a series of exchange and performance projects in 2018-2019 curated by Shang-Lin Wu. In cooperation with the National Museum of Prehistory, the Taipei Botanical Garden, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, and the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Korea, two movements and exhibitions, Wandering Seeds and Moving and Migration - International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition, were organized to discuss with neighboring countries the process of moving and migration between areas and their influence on each other, as well as explore how artists view history and how they discover new substance and meaning in the society and group they belong to. This exhibition focused on moving and migration within South East Asia, and explored the history that was built through moving and migration within Asia, in addition to contemporary views and interpretations thereof. It was a long-term exhibition project that involved multiple museums across many nations.

Moving and Migration - International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition (2017 PGICVA-funded exhibition), curated by Taiwanese curator Shang-Lin Wu and Korea curator Kim Yoonseo, exhibited at Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, South Korea

Kicked off in 2015, Topography of Mirror Cities, curated by Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo, focuses on the city as its subject. Through a long period of residential research in various South East Asian cities, including the six cities of Taipei, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Dakar, Lo has worked with local curators and developed different exhibition projects for each city. This plan is still ongoing. Lo, the curator, is still conducting research and preparing exhibitions in South East Asia. Recently, in the Jakarta Biennale in January 2022, Lo and Gudskul, an educational platform in Jakarta, launched the Ring Project and introduced the subproject Metaphors about Islands, where 41 artist collectives from various Asian countries were invited to propose 20 new artworks. From the perspective of islands and using metaphors and imagination, they seek to outline the mapping of alternative Asian and global relationships. Lo said, "This project does not just attach importance to individual differences; it is also a whole new social discourse structured by the axes of politics, ethics, and aesthetics. The 41 participating collectives try to converse and rethink the relationship between lone islands and island groups. Through dialogue, political power of the present that can connect to the past and look to the future is gathered."

Topography of Mirror Cities (2016 PGICVA-funded exhibition), chief curated by Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo, the photo shows the exhibition scene of Bangkok Layers in Bangkok, Thailand

Each of the five exhibition projects described above are collaborations with different organizations of various East Asian countries. They all focus on Asia itself, or the common cultural essence of Asian countries, but each project approaches its subject with different approaches, observations, and strategies, manifesting the distinctiveness of each issue. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022, international affairs have entered a new phase. As the future of Asia is not yet clear, it could be said that it is a work in progress, awaiting further curatorial research and practice.

IV.     The Niche and Strategy of Taiwanese Curators in East Asia

The five curatorial projects described above were all undertakings that spanned across multiple countries, multiple organizations, and multiple years. The preliminary residential research stages were all supported by NCAF, so that curators could fully research and prepare. From the experiences of these five curators, we can see that during preliminary investigation, research, and interviews, curators got to know various museums and art organizations, and in the second phase of curatorial work, curators established collaborative relationships with the art organizations and artists of other East Asian countries, step by step. This is an evident achievement of international exchange since PGICVA was launched. This accomplishment also meets the goals and expectations of NCAF when the first phase of preliminary residential research was added to PGICVA in 2012. Exhibitions became more than just displays; they were opportunities to build deeper relationships with international organizations through preliminary research.

In these deep international collaborative relationships, what is the niche and advantage of Taiwanese curators? How can Taiwan, which is not recognized as a country in the international community, find its position in Asia? The observations and responses of curators are as follows.

1.    The free and democratic arts and cultural environment of Taiwan

Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo, who has been working in South East Asia long-term in recent years said: "Compared to South East Asian countries, the biggest advantage of Taiwanese curators is Taiwan's democracy and freedom; this is what other countries cannot achieve. The Taiwanese government does not have a censorship system and puts no restrictions on artworks—this is very important. When we hold exhibitions in other countries, because of our special identity as Taiwanese, we can more easily sneak in some concepts to stimulate public thinking and indirectly influence local viewers."

Dar-Kuen Wu said: "There is no censorship in Taiwan, and this is a free and democratic environment. Also, just as how same sex marriage became legal in Taiwan, demonstrating an attitude that is open and tolerant of information and ideas, this sort of diverse and free environment is the biggest advantage of Taiwan. Even though Taiwan has less cash and resources than other countries, it allows discussion of many issues. I suggest that NCAF support large scale exhibitions and provide critical support. For instance, some research units have already conducted long-term thematic research and need to publish their results. NCAF can assist in this area, or invest more resources in facilitating cooperation with museums, promoting large projects, and connecting multiple organizations to work together. I hope that in the coming times, Taiwan can become the Berlin of Asia. With a free and pluralistic cultural environment, it can attract more international outstanding curators and artists to hold exhibitions in Taiwan, and I hope that there will be opportunities for Taiwan's output to step onto the international stage."

2.    The geographical and cultural center position and advantage of Taiwan in Asia

During the interview, curators often mentioned the geographical and cultural position of Taiwan. In the past, from a historical perspective, Taiwan was often situated on the margin or in a disadvantageous position, but actually, it possesses unique advantages that should not be neglected.

Dar-Kuen Wu: "I believe that NCAF should think strategically and emulate organizations such as Japan Foundation or the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS) by investing resources in crucial areas to consolidate Taiwan's cultural power and promote its art to the world. During the two years of the pandemic (2020 and 2021), the visibility or importance of Taiwan in the international community has reached a record high. Taiwan's government has successfully prevented the spread of the pandemic, Audrey Tang contributed to disease prevention with technology, Taiwan implemented mask diplomacy (declaring that Taiwan Can Help), and TSMC's chips influence the development of the whole world's high technology... Taiwan has stepped into the center of the world's industry from the edge of global politics, and we should seize this opportunity."

Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng said: "In the modern history of geopolitics, Taiwan has always been marginalized internationally, but Taiwan can make use of its cultural power, which may result from its unique position. Taiwan is actually situated in a very important 'node' in Asia. Through arts projects, we can get to know one another with nearby cultures, and after finding common experiences, we can do further research and collaborate with them. This process gives us the chance to establish a common discourse of the Asian experience." 

Shang-Lin Wu: "Because of Taiwan's history, many different ethnic groups live together on this island, resulting in many complex issues surrounding identity, so there is an abundance of subjects to explore and study. This is the niche and advantage of Taiwanese curators."

Chien-Hung Huang: "I think Taiwan was at its peak in the 1980s. Taiwan's advantage has already passed by now. It will actually be quite difficult to have any advantage in the future. Taiwan can only create an advantage or niche by itself and find out what Taiwan can do that other countries can't. Taiwanese people generally lack a sense of national identity. Given the circumstance that Taiwan is unable to obtain recognition as a country, apart from national identity, it could develop more humanely. Taiwanese people are more flexible and have creative and innovative ideas."

3.    The NCAF grant policy and its positive impact

Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng also said that "The biggest niche of Taiwanese curators is that Taiwan has a more comprehensive arts and cultural support environment, and a good grant mechanism that can help curators continue curating and enable independent curatorial projects to be actualized and further developed. Preserving the independence of curators, so that they are not restricted by organizations and systems, is also a significant purpose of NCAF PGICVA." Cheng suggested that other than supporting the final outcome of curatorial projects (exhibitions), NCAF should also value and support the production stage of the exhibition, like offering more detailed support to preliminary research. For instance, even though the results of support to residential research cannot be seen immediately, it serves as a very important educational experience and an investment in the nurture of curators.

Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo said, "With my experience of working with various organizations in various South East Asian countries, I think that since NCAF is an independent foundation and has a non-government identity in the international realm, it doesn't have the burden and restrictions of a government organization, so that curators have a lot of freedom. Also, NCAF is a large institution with credibility, able to give a lot of support to curators and also more chances to obtain other resources for the curatorial project."

Dar-Kuen Wu and Shang-Lin Wu both said they hoped that NCAF could play a more proactive intermediary role in bringing together curators and international museums. For instance, in 2012, NCAF negotiated a collaboration agreement with an international organization, then sought Taiwanese curators to work with them. To young curators who have not yet accumulated any international connections, this method is more helpful for building networks and acquiring more collaboration opportunities in the future.

V.     Suggestions for developing international cultural exchange policies in the uncertain post-pandemic era

Regarding the future development of NCAF's policy, the five curators gave the following suggestions:

Dar-Kuen Wu suggested: "The merit of NCAF is that its committee members and board directors are all arts professionals, but because the members are different each year, it may be difficult to make continuous plans, while some plans need to be carried out long-term. Perhaps NCAF could propose long-term plans and establish long-term partnerships with organizations through systematic diplomacy, like how the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea collaborated with Hyundai Motor Group and signed an 11-year collaboration plan with Tate Modern, sponsoring one exhibition each year. Taiwan also has large enterprises like TSMC. Perhaps resources can be consolidated through Arts and Business Partnerships, and Taiwanese curators and artists can be introduced to organizations, starting from the first-rate museums in Asia. NCAF could play an intermediary role to gather resources and put them to good use."

Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng suggested: "The essence and direction of the grant policy must be carefully inspected, lest it be solely swayed by trending topics. This must be done very consciously, or cultural policies may become overly dominant and unintentionally destroy variety and plurality, which are essential to cultural production."

During Shang-Lin Wu's interview, he often mentioned how the pandemic seriously impacted his curatorial work, hindering him from field work and exhibition preparations abroad. He also pointed out how before and after the pandemic, various lantern festivals or landscape art festivals in Taiwan relied heavily on light and sound technology, as if the pandemic accelerated the trend of "fast art", a phenomenon akin to "fast fashion". He suggested: "The grant amount of PGICVA could be increased. Nowadays, the rising prices of energy, raw materials, and transportation contribute to inflation, driving up the cost of holding exhibitions as well. In the future, an exhibition at an international scale will need quite a large amount of funding. The current amount is not enough, so curators must look for more support through different channels to complete an exhibition."

Chien-Hung Huang suggested: "There could be a clearer direction to the NCAF grant. For instance, back then, the Goethe-Institut in Seoul, Korea was strongly proactive and initiated the 'Asia'-themed project. Actually, under the lead of the chair of the board, NCAF is already promoting directional plans. An equal distribution of the grant will restrict the scale of projects, and it will be harder for outstanding collaborative projects to emerge. If the political climate is steady, it would depend on the openness of decision makers. If decision makers adjust the grant policy according to changes in society, diversity can be developed. Development of the arts sector ultimately comes down to the individual. In terms of the publicness of the grant, it depends on the jury's judgment. How will the curators' personal projects inspire public discussion in Taiwan's current environment? This might be something to consider."

Conclusion: Viewing oneself through others' eyes, gazing at the position and role of Taiwan

Since NCAF launched PGICVA in 2004, the grant mechanism has been adjusted based on shifts in the domestic and international environment, but the mission of supporting Taiwanese curators to deepen their expertise and move towards internationalization has never changed. From the interviews in this study, it can be observed that NCAF has played a critical role as a supporter and promoter in the international development of Taiwanese curators, and it has even been positioned outside of the government to retain more flexibility and become a timely assistance to curators in their international projects.

In addition to the tangible support system composed of resources and grant mechanisms, it can also be noted from the interviews with the five curators that the intangible heart of international collaborations is a "relationship of trust", which is gradually built through long-term interaction and collaboration.  Just as Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng said: "Because Asian countries are culturally similar, yet not identical, it is easy to converse, and in these conversations we notice our differences. These connections transcend one-time exhibition projects by far and are built on friendships based on Asian commonality."

From 2020 until today, the two-year pandemic, which has resulted in border control and various quarantine policies, has had a great impact on international exchange, and especially on the development of contemporary art, which relies heavily on globalization. In addition, the Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out in February 2022 and is still raging, is upsetting the political power in Europe and Asia, as well as the future dynamics of the world, at this very moment. Up until the time this article is being written, the war has shown no signs of ceasing.

The pandemic and war have changed the world post-2020, and rewritten the methods and rules of international interaction pre-2019. To be frank, the curatorial developments in East Asia during 2012-2019 that this study focuses on were certainly based on operational patterns of "the old world". However, the collaborative relationships that have been slowly built with East Asian countries by curators who have stepped out of Taiwan are certainly real and need to be continued.

After the pandemic, the rarity of face to face interaction highlights how valuable it was for arts professionals to be able to travel and exchange freely before 2019. However, the standstill and physical distance that the pandemic brought about also gave us a time of peace and calm to inspect ourselves through others' eyes. A chance to gaze at the position and role of Taiwan may be another important meaning of international exchange. Perhaps compared to countries in Europe or the U.S., East Asian countries have more similar cultures and histories, yet they possess their differences as well, so gazing at and contemplating "Asia" is especially meaningful.

This study was conducted in the midst of the pandemic and the war. It is very difficult to give practical and effective suggestions for navigating a new world after these transformations, and there are many limitations to it. This study can merely offer preliminary observations and summaries of the five international curatorial projects at the peak of globalization before the pandemic. However, how can we "go international" in the post-pandemic world? "International" as a noun, or verb, is an issue that must be constantly considered and examined as we enter the new world.

Thank you

The author would like to give special thanks to Chairman Mun-Lee Lin, Director Kung-Hsu Lan, and Director Yi-Ju Hung, who, in the process of this study, were interviewed and consulted about the plans of NCAF, the implementation of these plans, considerations and ideas of their policies, and the historical backdrop of the development of these policies. Thanks also go to the five curators: Dar-Kuen Wu, Chien-Hung Huang, Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng, Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo, and Shang-Lin Wu (listed in the order that their curatorial projects took place) for generously sharing their experiences and ideas from the curatorial process.

Table of Interviews

Interviewees	Curatorial Project / Interviews Content	Time of interview	Location of interview
Chair Mun-Lee Lin	The goals and backdrop of the launch of NCAF PGICVA	November, 2021	NCAF
Director Kung-Hsu Lan	The goals and backdrop of the launch of NCAF PGICVA and the promotion of international schemes in recent years	October, 2021	NCAF
Director Yi-Ju Hung	The goals and backdrop of the revision of PGICVA grant mechanism in 2012	October, 2021	NCAF
Dar-Kuen Wu	Asia Anarchy Alliance / 2013	January, 2022	Eastern District of Taipei
Chien-Hung Huang	Discordant Harmony / 2014	March, 2022	Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts
Amy Huei-Hwa Cheng	Towards Mysterious Realities / 2015	February, 2022	Gongguan, Taipei
Sandy Hsiu-Chih Lo	Topography of Mirror Cities / 2016	January, 2022	Online interview
Shang-Lin Wu	Moving and Migration -  Stories From A Place To Other / 2017	March, 2022	Eastern District of Taipei