In the last five years there have been rapid developments in the contemporary Asian art scene. The market for Chinese contemporary art market has been explosive, and contemporary Southeast Asian, Indian, Korean, and Japanese art have likewise emerged as important new players on a busy global art scene. In response to these exciting changes, new approaches, methodologies and discourse about Asian art have come to the fore as vital issues for a contemporary globalised world . C-Arts was launched in November 2007 with the aim of acting as a bridge between the various institutions, artists and interested partners in this dynamic global arts scene. Since then, it has grown to become an important source of information and a welcome platform for analytical discourse for and about contemporary art in Asia. C-Arts is committed to the creation of active dialogue and discussion about the arts for the edification of both specialists and the general public.
To this end, C-Arts, in partnership with the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is initiating a forum on contemporary Asian art in a global setting, which will consist of a series of eight talks by well-known international figures in the world of Asian contemporary arts. This series is accordingly called “C8 Art Talks,” an unexpected but fortituous reference to SAM’s new contemporary art wing, 8Q sam.

C-Arts Editors Notes
C8Art Talks Kicks off:
Dr Melissa Chiu speaks on Contemporary Asian Art in the Global Setting

Contemporary Asian Art is experiencing an unprecedented surge. The rapid development in contemporary art in Asia has resulted in shifts within the discourse about art and within the art market. Issues of global development have resulted in new art theories, and changes in values towards art.A new contemporary artistic language is being created by artists of the various regions in Asia. In which the changing dynamics -and dialectics- of the local and the global, the past and the novel, the individual and the collective, as they occur and develop the various countries of the region, make their mark.

In order to put more light on emerging dynamics in the art world of today, the international C-Arts Magazine for Contemporary Art and Culture and the Singapore Art Museum, are organizing a series of 8 talks where recognized guest speakers are invited to speak at a forum of dialog and discussion with the public. The inaugural Talk takes the format of Conversations, to be held with Dr. Melissa Chiu, the director of Asia Society Museum and Vice President of the Society’s Global Art Program. A leading authority in Asian contemporary art, Dr. Melissa Chiu is among the first to have pushed Asian contemporary art to the fore. She will share her experiences, strategies and visions for Asian contemporary art in the global setting. The event, will be held on 12 September at 7 p.m. at the Glass Hall of the Singapore Art Museum., and moderated by Enin Supriyanto, an editor with C-Arts and Academic Advisor to Asia Art Archive Hong Kong,

C-Arts Magazine positions itself as a bridge between countries, artistic perspectives, institutions and indeed actors -collectors in particular- involved in the process of contemporary creation. It is our ambition to be at the crossroad of the new contemporary art that is now appearing in this context in one Asian country after the other. The magazine aims at not only describing the new contemporary art coming up, and evaluating it from a market point of view, but also at generating open “discourses” about it, in order to better frame it sociologically and historically. 

— Mr Eddy Soetriyono, Chief Editor, C-Arts Magazine.
C8 Art Talks: Conversations on Asian Contemporary Art — is a series of talks providing a forum for those interested in the development of contemporary art in Asia, especially Southeast Asia.
Each talk is expected to bring together art directors of contemporary art institutions, galleries, museums, art spaces, biennales, triennales, art fairs, art auctions, art traders, thinkers, prominence of the academia, artists and art lovers who are eager to benefit from such discussion and dialogue.
The inaugural talk will take place on		 Friday, 12th September 2008. Venue: The Glass Hall at Singapore Art Museum.
The event will present Dr. Melissa Chiu, the Director of Asia Society Museum and Vice President of the Global Art Programs. As a leading authority on Asian contemporary art, Melissa Chiu will share her knowledge and experience in promoting Asian contemporary art in an established art scene such as The United States, as already happened with the case of many Chinese contemporary artists having shows in highly respected artspaces and
 museums. Furthermore, she will share her reflections and opinions on how Asian contemporary art—or, especially Southeast Asian Art—can face the challenge and opportunity in meeting a larger global audience, to become part of the dynamic process of globalization, forwarding the message of dialogues and understanding between cultures.
All of these issues, and more, will be covered in C8 Talks’ inaugural session entitled Facing the Future: Asian Contemporary Art in the Global Setting.

“Asian contemporary art has grown exponentially due to a mushrooming of art museums as well as events such as the biennials and art fairs, and developing Asian cities to be important nodal points for world art. Multiple new contemporary art museums, arts districts and cultural quarters are mushrooming in cities from Beijing to Jakarta, from Mumbai to Manila, and in many other parts of Asia. The global media attention and critical acclaim accorded to many Asian artists and their works indicate a renaissance in Asian Art.

However, as we discuss the progress of Asian Art as a whole, we must also remember that Asia is one of the most diversified regions in the world. While many Asian cities are at the forefront of international contemporary art development, there are multiple communities rich in tradition and heritage which may not be in the global art network just yet. It is the link between cultural roots and contemporary expressions that art museums continue to play a central role. This is indeed a very exciting time as we bear witness to the emergence of new trends and new directions in the Asian contemporary art scene and its expanded audience base, along with the close association of art with public culture, design and creative industries.

Singapore Art Museum is delighted to be co-organising the C8 Art Talk series, which provides an opportune platform for such discussions on the issues and trends in contemporary art development.”

— Mr Kwok Kian Chow, Director, Singapore Art Museum.
Speaker: Dr. Melissa Chiu is Museum Director
and Vice President, Global Art Programs,
Asia Society in New York where she has worked since 2001. Previously, she was Founding Director of the Asia-Australia Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia (1996–2001). As a leading authority on Asian contemporary art, she has initiated a number of major museum
initiatives at the Asia Society Museum, including the launch of a contemporary art collection to complement the museum’s outstanding Rockefeller Collection of traditional
Asian art.
She has been a visiting professor at the Graduate Center, CUNY and RISD as well as lecturing at numerous American universities
including Harvard University. She was a Getty Research Fellow (2003-2004) and has served on grant and policy advisory committees for the New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Massachusetts Cultural
Council.		 Chiu is a board member for Association of Art Museum Directors; Academic Advisory
Board, Asia Art Archives, Hong Kong; Advisory Board, Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Vancouver; Advisor for Art 21, art television series broadcast on PBS; Board Member, Vietnam
Foundation for the Arts; and was a founding board member, Asian Contemporary
Art Consortium in New York, a group serving the interests of Asian art and culture at the worlds leading museums.
Chiu earned an M.A. in Arts Administration
(1994) and a PhD (2005) in Art History in her native Australia, and has produced nearly 30 exhibitions of international
art. She has served as an Editor for Asian contemporary art, The Grove Dictionary of Art and Consulting Editor for Grove Encyclopaedia of American Art, published by Oxford University Press, London and New York, and is the author and editor of many books, monographs, and anthologies,		 among them books on the Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Huan and co-editor for a book on the art of the Cultural Revolution
published by Yale University Press in 2008. Her most recent books include Breakout: Chinese Art Outside China (Charta, 2007) which focuses on the international
Chinese artistic diaspora and Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know (AW Asia 2008).
Moderator: Enin Supriyanto is a member of the C-Arts Editorial Board and an Academic Advisor for the Asia Art Archive. As an independent
curator he is engaged in the organization
of art events, including exhibitions and artist exchange programs in Indonesia and abroad. As a recognized specialist in contemporary art from Indonesia, Enin has participated in several international symposiums
and written for various publications.