New York-based nongovernmental organization Living Arts International has established a branch in Taipei City to promote exchanges between local and foreign art administrators and creative talents, the Ministry of Culture announced Aug. 15.
The launch of the office was confirmed with the signing of a four-year agreement between the MOC and LAI. Under the deal, the ministry and office will work with the NGO’s branch in Phnom Penh to facilitate cooperation between Taiwan artists and their counterparts in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Also in the pipeline is an exchange program for art administrators and policymakers from Taiwan, the U.K. and eight Southeast Asian nations. Co-organized by the LAI branch and the British Council, this will comprise in-depth discussions on sustainable regional cultural development at four gatherings between November this year and September 2019.
According to the MOC, these projects are in line with government efforts to strengthen cultural links with the region under the New Southbound Policy. A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the NSP aims to deepen Taiwan’s ties across the board with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
The establishment of the LAI Taiwan Office follows successful collaboration between the MOC and the NGO’s branch in Phnom Penh. Results of these efforts include “A Requiem for Cambodia: Bangsokol,” a musical co-produced by the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation for Culture and Education.
Sponsored by the MOC, the show was staged at the Melbourne Festival and Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival the same year, according to the ministry. (CPY-E)
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