視盟自 2018 年開始申請「文化部亞西及南亞地區與臺灣文化交流合作補助」，並於 2018 年及 2019 年連續兩年順利獲補，完成計畫的執行。2020 年的申請計畫，視盟很遺憾未獲評審青睞，加上目前 COVID-19 新型冠狀病毒疫情影響，自去年底開始以「國際交流」內容進行洽談的募款計畫，現在也面臨無限期停擺狀態。
視盟自 2013 年起，便開始與中國、香港、澳門、韓國及台灣各地共 6 個獨立藝術空間共同組織「AIA 亞洲獨立藝術空間連線」，成員包含北京藝述館、香港活化廳、澳門牛房倉庫、釜山 OpenSpace Bae、台北 VT Artsalon 非常廟藝文空間以及福利社 FreeS Art Space。期望能藉此連線帶動整個亞洲的藝文空間交流，與彼此分享亞洲替代空間或藝術家空間的經驗及特有的發展脈絡。身為 AIA 一員，視盟延續此一動機，從台北出發，以台灣最大的視覺藝術工作者協會的資源及其所建置的平台，作為國際交流的基地與實踐原形，向外探索與國際各種獨立藝術空間交流的網絡。
從 2015 年開始，特別於視盟主辦之「台灣當代一年展」規劃「國際當代藝術空間」展區，以大型展會型態，邀請亞太地區的非營利／獨立藝術機構於會場進行超過一週的展覽與交流。與國際藝術空間交流，除了分享在地藝術經驗之外，亦是台灣與國際藝術界接壤的重要機會，藝術產業無國界，博覽會跨足國內外，成為互動及溝通的平台，吸取國外藝術發展經驗，也對外展現台灣藝術家實力。
2018 年文化部為鼓勵台灣與西亞及南亞藝文單位進行合作創製，推辦西亞及南亞地區與臺灣文化交流合作補助徵件，視盟因此得以藉由這樣的支持，將既有的國際交流合作延伸至東亞、東南亞以外的亞洲地區，於 2018 年和 2019 年度順利邀請了來自伊朗、印度、尼泊爾、孟加拉、喬治亞、烏克蘭、土耳其、俄羅斯等 8 個國家、13 個當代藝術空間。包含印度 TIFA Working Studios、印度 Niv Art Centre、孟加拉 BACK Art、孟加拉 Britto Arts Trust、尼泊爾 LASANAA、伊朗 VA Space、伊朗 Sazmanab、喬治亞 CCA 提比里斯當代藝術中心、烏克蘭 Open Place、俄羅斯 Elektrozavod Gallery、土耳其 Torun、印度 Shunya Collective 和印度 1 Shanthi Road Studio/Gallery 等藝術機構與團體。
除了邀請上述機構與團體來台參與「台灣當代一年展」展出，策劃國際藝術沙龍、國際藝術論壇等活動，同時也與多個台灣獨立藝術機構進行拜訪交流。希望不只是用展覽作爲交流形式，也透過各國空間的營運模式分享，把這些亞洲獨立空間的經驗以及他們特有的發展脈絡跟彼此分享，藉此為亞洲替代空間／藝術家空間發現其潛在共有的特質、發展策略與創意，為台灣的藝術社群與國際間的藝術交流創造活絡的交往。
在交流期間，外賓皆表達對於再次來台交流、駐村有高度興趣，積極計畫日後於台灣進行短中期的駐點創作。此外，烏克蘭地區因藝術資源相對貧乏，來自烏克蘭基輔的藝術機構 Open Place 也表示希望未來能有機會邀請台灣的藝術家或藝術評論工作者至烏克蘭駐村交流，而俄羅斯獨立藝術空間 Elektrozavod Gallery 更是於返國後舉辦交流計畫成果展出，並於近期邀請台灣當代一年展參展藝術家「毛毛（邱國維）」於俄羅斯進行首次個展。計畫結案後，仍舊有許多合作正在發酵，不論是邀請台灣藝術家前往展出，亦或是長期的交流合作平台的建立，皆顯現此計畫的不可限量。我們非常希望這樣的國際交流計畫能一直延續，致使搭建足夠成熟的交流網絡，在未來能不問國界皆能有足夠資源，自如交流共進。
2020 年的西亞南亞交流計畫申請，預計邀請斯里蘭卡、印度、阿拉伯聯合大公國、烏克蘭、摩洛哥、埃及及俄羅斯等地共 6 個藝術空間／機構來台交流，並根據前期執行經驗以及參與交流的外賓建議，將國際論壇活動調整為多場國際講座與座談活動，並採取與台灣藝術相關科系合作的方式進行，讓學院內的年輕學子可藉此吸取國外的產業經驗，並有所交流；另增加小型工作坊，增加更多與台灣觀眾的互動機會；我們也檢討展期間，與公眾交流部分，因翻譯的安排不足，仍有很大的空間待改善。
在今年的計劃得以實現之前，挑戰就接踵而至，計劃未獲補助及疫情的衝擊，影響了整年度的規劃，多年努力建構的「連線」也恐將斷線。在視盟幾乎年年虧損的情況下，為繼續維持協會日常營運及不同計畫的進行，非常抱歉地要向視盟會員，以及藝術界、各國友人宣布，因視盟營運能量不足以支應，今年度的西亞南亞國際交流計畫將暫停一年，我們會努力爭取各方協助，不負多年經營國際交流事務、取得的經歷與成果。
請各位繼續給予視盟支持與鼓勵，謝謝大家。
Announcement from AVAT:
West Asia and South Asia International Culture Exchange Program is temporarily suspended for one year
AVAT has applied for the subsidy from the Ministry of Culture for “Culture Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between West Asia and South Asia with Taiwan” since 2018. AVAT successfully received the subsidies for two years and executed the program in 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, as for the application in 2020, AVAT has not been favored with the funds. Furthermore, the fundraising plan regarding content of international culture exchanges which has begun since the end of last year is now facing an indefinite shutdown due to the impact of COVID-19 outbreak.
Since 2013, AVAT has jointly organized Asia in Independent Asia (AIA for short) with 6 independent art spaces in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea and Taiwan. Members include Eshu Art House from Beijing, Woofer Ten from Hong Kong, Ox Warehouse from Macau, OpenSpace Bae from Busan, VT Artsalon and FreeS Art Space from Taipei. It is expected that this alliance will lead to the exchanges of art spaces throughout Asia, and share the experiences of running alternative spaces and artists spaces in Asia and its unique development context with each other. As a member of AIA, AVAT has continued this motive; starting from Taipei, utilizing our resources as Taiwan’s largest visual artists association and the platform we built as a base and a prototype for practicing international culture exchanges and expanding the network with independent art spaces worldwide.
Starting from 2015, the “International Contemporary Art Space” section has been planned especially for TAIWAN ANNUAL which is hosted by AVAT. In the form of a large scale exhibition, nonprofit/independent art institutions from Asia-Pacific area were invited to exhibit and exchange at the exhibition venue for more than a week. Having discussions and exchanges with international art spaces is a great chance for sharing local art practice experiences as well as an important opportunity for Taiwan to connect with the international art community. Art industry knows no borders. The expo has become a platform for interaction and communication through the participation of art practitioners from Taiwan and abroad, which is drawing on the experience of foreign art development, and also showing the strength of Taiwanese artists.
In 2018, in order to encourage Taiwan to collaborate with art institutions in West Asia and South Asia, the Ministry of Culture initiated the subsidy program for exchanges and cooperation with West Asia and South Asia region. With support from the government, AVAT was able to extend the international exchanges and collaboration to further areas in Asia besides East Asia and Southeast Asia. In 2018 and 2019, AVAT invited 13 contemporary art spaces from 8 different countries namely Iran, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia. The participants include TIFA Working Studios (India), Niv Art Centre (India), BACK Art (Bangladesh), Britto Arts Trust (Bangladesh), LASANAA (Nepal), VA Space (Iran), Sazmanab (Iran), Center of Contemporary Art-Tbilisi (Georgia), Open Place (Ukraine), Elektrozavod Gallery from (Russia), Torun (Turkey), Shunya Collective (India) and 1 Shanthi Road Studio/Gallery (India).
Apart from inviting the above institutions and groups to participate in TAIWAN ANNUAL, AVAT also planned events such as international art salons and forums, arranged visits to several independent art institutions in Taiwan. Hopefully to not only use the exhibition as a form of communication, but also to share their experiences as Asian independent spaces and their unique development with each other by sharing their operating model, thereby discovering the potential shared characteristics, development strategies and creative ideas for the alternative/artists spaces in Asia, and creating a thriving network for Taiwan’s art community and the international art exchange activities.
During the program, our international participants all showed high interests in coming to Taiwan again to exchange or stay for residency program. Moreover, since Ukraine is relatively poor in resource for art, Open Place, an art institution which comes from Kiev, Ukraine, also expressed the hope that artists or art critics in Taiwan can be invited to Ukraine for residency and exchange programs. On the other hand, Elektrozavod Gallery, an independent art space in Russia, held an exhibition displaying the achievements of the program after returning to Russia. Furthermore, it recently invited Lash CHIU, an artist who also participated in TAIWAN ANNUAL, to conduct his very first solo show in Russia. After closure of the program, there are a lot of collaborations being incubated, whether it’s to invite Taiwanese artists to exhibit their work, or to establish a platform for long-term collaboration and exchanges, all indicate the unlimited possibilities of the program. We very much hope that an international exchange program like this will continue in order to build a sufficient and well-developed communication network, so that in the future, we will all have adequate resources to exchange and develop together regardless of any country.
For the West Asia and South Asia International Culture Exchange Program application in 2020, it was expected that 6 art spaces/institutions from Sri Lanka, India, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Morocco, Egypt and Russia would be invited to Taiwan. In addition, according to the experience from previous execution and advices from international participants, the international art forum was adjusted to become a series of lectures in the collaboration with art related departments in Taiwan, allowing young students in colleges to draw on the experiences from foreign countries and communicate. Besides, small workshops were also added to increase more opportunities for interaction with Taiwanese audience. We also reviewed the communication with the public during the exhibition, there is still space for improvement due to the insufficient arrangements for translation.
Challenges have come thick and fast before this year’s program is realized. Without subsidy for the program, along with the impact of the pandemic, the plan for the entire year is harshly affected, and connection after hardworking efforts for many years may also be disconnected. Under financial loss in successive years, in order to maintain the operation of the association and continue other programs, we’re deeply sorry to announce to the members of AVAT, art community and friends around the world, due to the lack of resource, West Asia and South Asia International Culture Exchange Program is temporarily suspended for one year. We will keep striving for resource from all parties to live up to the achievements in international exchange affairs after years of efforts and the experiences we gained.
We appreciate for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you.