PROGRAMSKYOTO Gathering for Asian Art Students

KYOTO Gathering for Asian Art Students 2025

Event Concept
Event Details
Application Guidelines
Program Schedule
Student Participants
Keynote Speakers’ Profiles
Staff Credits
Inquiries

Event Concept

KYOTO Gathering for Asian Art Students is a three-day conference with accommodation provided, bringing together students from Southeast and East Asia to deepen their mutual understanding and their region at large within the context of the contemporary art world. The event aims to reexamine Western-centric narratives in art and provide opportunities for practical learning and meaningful connections through discussions on global art trends, individual research interests, and career pathways.

Since the 1990s, contemporary art has undergone rapid global expansion, with models of museums, art festivals, and art fairs emerging across various regions—including Asia, which has seen remarkable economic growth. At the same time, recent global disruptions such as the pandemic and ongoing political and economic instability have cast uncertainty over the future for the next generation of creators. In an age of overwhelming digital information, even imagining “what the world is” and “where we truly stand” has become increasingly difficult.
In response to this situation, the KYOTO Gathering for Asian Art Students seeks to foster real human relationships among young artists and curators, offering a space to collectively envision alternative futures.

Event Details

  • DatesWed, November 12 – Fri, November 14, 2025
  • VenueKyoto University of the Arts
  • ThemeFlipping Point: Looking Back at the World from Asia
  • Number of Participants35 total (19 domestic, 16 international)
  • Program DetailsThe program will include Group Discussions, Keynote Talks by Guest Speakers, Kyoto Excursion, Networking Sessions.
  • Participation FeesFree of charge
  • Organized byICA Kyoto, Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School
  • Supported byThe Japan Foundation

Application Guidelines

  • EligibilityGraduate students and 4th-year undergraduate students enrolled in art universities in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

    *Domestic participants from Japan must be able to attend the kick-off meeting (hybrid format) on Sat, August 23.

  • Required DocumentsPlease upload a portfolio or research material (PDF, A4 size, under 10MB) via the application form.
  • Application DeadlinePlease submit by the following deadline.
    Monday, July 28, 2025, 23:59 (JST)Application Closed

Program Schedule

DAY 1 – Wednesday,
November 12
09:30

Registration

10:00–10:15

Opening Ceremony

Opening Remarks: Mami Kataoka (Director, ICA Kyoto)

10:15–11:30

Orientation & Icebreakers

An introduction to the overall aims and structure of the program, followed by simple interactive exercises to foster exchange among participants.

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–15:00

Keynote Lecture ①

“A Different Twentieth Century: Asian Art History in Singapore”
Guest Speaker: Patrick Flores (Chief Curator, National Gallery Singapore)

We welcome internationally renowned curator and scholar Patrick Flores to speak on modern and contemporary Asian art histories in relation to Singapore.

15:30–16:30

Excursion Briefing

Overview of the excursion scheduled for November 13, including its objectives and destinations.

16:30–18:00

Group Discussions

Participants will be divided into small groups based on shared interests to exchange ideas about their practices and research.

Facilitators
ICA Kyoto Members (Mami Kataoka, Kazuya Nakayama, Kodama Kanazawa, Takuya Tsutsumi, Atsushi Kiri)

18:00–19:00

Collaborative Preparation for Dinner.

19:00–21:00

Dinner

21:00

End of Day 1

DAY 2 – Thursday,
November 13
09:00

Meet at the venue

09:15–12:00

Group Discussions

Building on the previous day’s exchange, each group will continue discussions and decide on their excursion destinations for the afternoon.

Facilitators
ICA Kyoto Members (Mami Kataoka, Kazuya Nakayama, Kodama Kanazawa, Takuya Tsutsumi, Atsushi Kiri)

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–15:00

Keynote Lecture ②

“The Art of Becoming: First Five Years After Graduation”
Guest Speaker: Yee I-Lann (Artist)

Born in 1971 in Sabah, Malaysia, Yee I-Lann creates works using photography, video, and installation to explore historical and cultural memories in contemporary society. In this lecture, she will reflect on her experiences and discuss how she built her artistic career in the years following graduation.

15:00–

Excursion

Participants will visit various sites in Kyoto in small groups, deepening their understanding of the city and fostering further exchange.

DAY 3 – Friday,
November 14
09:00

Meet at the venue

09:15–12:00

Presentations: Excursion Reflections

Each group will share their experiences, learnings, and insights gained from the excursion.

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–14:00

Program Reflection

A collective reflection on the three-day program, sharing impressions and future perspectives.

14:30–15:00

Closing Ceremony

15:00–16:30

Closing Party

A casual gathering to celebrate the conclusion of the program.

16:30

Program Ends

Student Participants (in alphabetical order)

  • Sekar Atika

    Universitas Gadjah Mada, Graduate School
    Media and Cultural Studies
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Nemo

    Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta
    Fine Arts
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Alice Cheng

    Hong Kong Baptist University
    Academy of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Visual Arts
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Cheng Yin-Chen

    Taipei National University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Fine Arts / Mixed Media
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Khush

    Hong Kong Baptist University
    Bachelor of Visual Arts
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Fais Hadsaram

    Chiang Mai University
    Faculty of Fine Arts / Department of Media Art and Design
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Mao Hiraoka

    Nagoya University of Arts, Graduate School
    Fine Arts, Major in Contemporary Expression
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Kanha Hul

    Paññasastra University of Cambodia (PUC)
    Faculty of Education, Department of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Yerashevich Ilya

    Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Graduate School of Global Arts Creation
    PhD student

  • Renna

    University Malaysia Sabah
    Academy of Creative Arts and Technology
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Will

    Chulalongkorn University
    Master of Architecture in Architectural Design
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Akiko Kimura

    Tohoku University of Art and Design, Graduate School
    Art and Design, Master’s Program, Department of Art and Culture, Interdisciplinary Arts Area
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Hiiro Kiyohara

    Kyoto University of the Arts
    Faculty of Fine Arts and Crafts, Oil Painting Course
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Saki Kuwata

    Akita University of Art, Graduate School
    Department of Multidisciplinary Arts
    1st-year master’s student

  • Asuka Komatsu

    Tama Art University
    Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Information Design, Media Arts Course
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Eldrick Yuji Raphael Salinel Los Baños

    National Taipei University of Education (NTUE)
    MA in Critical and Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Koki Matsuda

    Saga University
    Faculty of Art and Regional Design, Regional Design Course
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • JongMin

    Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Arts and Environmental Studies / Cultural Design / Art Education, Transdisciplinary Production Program
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Jared Munn

    Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Global Seminar
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Cocone Nakamura

    Kyoto University of the Arts
    Faculty of Fine Arts and Crafts, Foundation Art Course
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Cam Anh Nguyen

    Fulbright University Vietnam
    Department of Art & Humanities (Literature and Art & Media Studies)
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Nik

    Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Department of Fine Arts and Crafts, Photography and Video Area
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Jazmin Fong Navalan

    University of the Philippines – Diliman
    Department of Theory
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Paphanun Phermpheng

    Chiang Mai University
    Media art and design, Faculty of Fine Arts
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Akira Sano

    Hiroshima City University, Graduate School
    Arts, Department of Comprehensive Plastic Arts
    PhD student

  • Honoka Sato

    Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
    Faculty of Design and Craft, Department of Design
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Amir Shakar

    Kazakh National Academy of Arts named after T. Zhurgenov
    Cinema and TV / Directing
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Zoe Nakahara

    Onomichi City University, Graduate School
    Fine Arts, Department of Oil Painting
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Riho Takamasu

    Akita University of Art, Graduate School
    Department of Multidisciplinary Arts
    2nd-year master’s student

  • TSENG Che-Wei (Daniel)

    National Taipei University of Education
    Critical and Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art (CCSCA)
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Motoki Watanabe

    Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Fine Arts Course of Global Art Practice
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Hibiki Yamada

    Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Fine Arts Course of Global Art Practice
    2nd-year master’s student

  • Yin Yuan

    Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture
    PhD student

  • Ke Dong / KD

    Nanyang Technological University
    School of Humanities, BA (Hons) Double Major in English Literature and Art History
    4th-year undergraduate student

  • Zhao Tongyang

    Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School
    Art Studies
    PhD student

Keynote Speakers’ Profiles

Patrick Flores

Patrick Flores is Chief Curator of National Gallery Singapore. He is concurrently Professor of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines and Director of the Philippine Contemporary Art Network. He has written significantly on Southeast Asian art, specifically its colonial and modernist formations, and has curated contemporary exhibitions on and through Southeast Asia. He was a Visiting Fellow at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1999 and a Guest Scholar of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles in 2014. Among his publications are Painting History: Revisions in Philippine Colonial Art (1999); Past Peripheral: Curation in Southeast Asia (2008); Raymundo Albano: Texts (2017); and The Modern in Southeast Asian Art: A Reader (2023), which he co-edited with T. K. Sabapathy. He was a Curator (Position Papers) at the Gwangju Biennale in 2008, the Artistic Director of Singapore Biennale in 2019 and Curator of the Philippine Pavilion in 2015 and the Taiwan Pavilion in 2022 at the Venice Biennale.

Yee I-Lann

Yee I-Lann (b. 1971, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia; lives and works in Kota Kinabalu) is a leading contemporary artist known for her photomedia-based practice that explores the intersections of power, colonialism, and neo-colonialism in Southeast Asia. Her digital photo collages and collaborative projects often foreground counter-narratives and “histories from below,” engaging with both sea-based and land-based communities as well as indigenous mediums in Sabah.
She has exhibited widely across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the United States. Major retrospectives Yee I-Lann: 2005–2016 (Ayala Museum, Manila, 2016). Recent solo shows include Borneo Heart (Sabah International Convention Centre, 2021), Until We Hug Again (CHAT, Hong Kong, 2021), At the Roof of the Mouth (Silverlens New York, 2022) and Yee I-Lann: Mansau-Ansau (Kunstmuseum Thun, 2025).
Yee’s work has also featured in significant group exhibitions such as the Asia Pacific Triennial (1999, 2021), SUNSHOWER: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now (Tokyo, 2017), Aichi Triennale (2022), the Istanbul Biennial (2022), NGV Triennial, Victoria, Australia (2023); and The Spirits of Maritime Crossing, Venice, Italy (2024).

Photo by Al Hanafi Juhar

Staff Credits

  • Supervising DirectorMami Kataoka (Director, ICA Kyoto)
  • DirectionKodama Kanazawa (Special Project Director, ICA Kyoto)
  • General CoordinationChiho Shimizu (Managing Director, ICA Kyoto)
  • CoordinationKaho Domae, Saki Sahara
  • Graphic Designym design (Yusuke Mimasu, Mayumi Suzuki, Hana Nakano)
  • Website ProductionMasaki Nakamoto (UNGLOBAL STUDIO KYOTO), ym design (Yusuke Mimasu, Mayumi Suzuki, Hana Nakano), Kazuki Akiyama (And Arc)
  • PhotographyHaruka Oka
  • Interpreter (Consecutive)Miho Tsujii, Kyle Yamada
  • CateringCanvasKyoto
  • Event SupportGraduate School Office, Kyoto University of the Arts (Mayuko Jinta, Li Chiayun, Haruka Murakami), Academic Affairs, Graduate School (Kazumi Endo, Mana Ogino)

Inquiries

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