Departing from Modernism, art after the 1960s has experienced drastic changes in its manifestations. Contemporary artists have adopted performance, industrial objects and readymade as well as time-based media to convey their visions, which resulted in works with great complexity–both in conception and materiality. The transforming idea of authenticity has deeply challenged traditional museum practices from acquisition, curation to conservation. In this symposium, we will present case studies from contemporary art centers, artist archives and estates, advocacy groups, university gallery spaces and independent art studios. Together, we aim to explore the limitations and workarounds to tackle the ephemeral nature of contemporary works, constant setbacks by technological obsolescence, degradation issues of unconventional materials within the broader context of contemporary cultural heritage. With built-in linguistic and translation support, we wish to create a venue for our participants to openly discuss how resources, training, guiding principles, and documentation methods can best be shared within the preservation community. It will lay the groundwork for the next stage of the project following the symposium–the formation of a robust regional knowledge-based network for contemporary and time-based media art conservation in Asia.
“Past/Present: Collecting, Exhibiting and Conserving Contemporary Art in Asia” Program Agenda
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Day 1: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 (Taipei Time)
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09:00 am
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Welcome Remarks
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Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts,
Asian Cultural Council
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Session1: Collecting and Exhibiting Contemporary and Time-Based Media Art
Chair: Martha Singer (Director of Material Whisperer Consultation and Conservation Services, USA)
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9:10 am
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Introduction by Session Chair
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9:15 am
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Not Knowing Where to Turn – a curator fielding questions of art conservation in Vietnam
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Zoe Butt (Artistic Director at the Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Vietnam)
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9:45 am
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The Case of Save Myanmar Film: a youth-led organization that literally saved Myanmar films from extinction
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Keiko Sei (Independent Curator)
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10:15 am
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Break
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10:20 am
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Who is Going to Conserve Films as a Cultural Heritage for the General Public? On the Possibilities of Street Film Museums
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Ray Jiing (Emeritus Professor at the Tainan National University of the Arts, Taiwan)
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10:50 am
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Hand Selling in the Museum Space
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Christopher Mattison (Curator and Publisher at the Hong Kong University Art Museum and Gallery)
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11:20 am
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Panel Discussion/Q&A
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12:10 pm
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Close
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Day 2: Thursday, January 6, 2022 (Taipei Time)
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Session 2: Collecting and Exhibiting Contemporary and Time-Based Media Art
Chair: Shu-Wen Lin (Assistant Conservator, Time-Based Media, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada)
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09:00 am
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Introduction by Session Chair
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09:05 am
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Culture on Demand: Making the Collection Accessible
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Rahel Joseph (Director at ILHAM Gallery, Malaysia)
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09:35 am
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Nam June Paik’s Legacy: How would Nam June Paik Art Center Video Archives be Read in Contemporary Art Museum Context?
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Sang Ae Park (Archivist and Head of the Curatorial Department at the Nam June Paik Art Center, South Korea)
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10:05 am
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Break
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10:15 am
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The Challenges of Conservation of Contemporary Art in a Tropical Climate
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Joselina Cruz (Director and Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, MCAD Manila, the Philippines)
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10:45 am
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Establishing Conservation Strategies for Contemporary and Time-based Media Collections from the Expansion Project at TFAM
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Mei-Ching Fang (Head of the Collection Department at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan) &
Jen-Jung Ku (Paper Conservator at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan)
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11:15 am
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Panel Discussion/Q&A
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12:10 pm
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Close
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Day 3: Friday, January 7, 2022 (Taipei Time)
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Session 3: Documenting and Conserving Contemporary and Time-Based Media Art
Chair: Christel Pesme (Chief Conservator / Deputy Director, Conservation Services, at the Heritage Conservation Centre, Singapore)
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09:00 am
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Introduction by Session Chair
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09:05 am
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Promoting Active Learning in the Art Ecosystem: A Case Study of Technical Analysis outside the Museum
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Diana Tay (Doctoral Researcher, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne)
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09:35 am
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Conservation Issues Related to the Diverse Industrial Materials Used in Contemporary Art
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Zeeyoung Chin (Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Leeum Museum of Art, South Korea)
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10:05 am
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Break
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10:15 am
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What About Bob? Shaping Institutional Approaches through Research and Practice
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David Smith (Conservator, Digital and Media Art, at the M+ Museum, Hong Kong) &
Aga Wielocha (Conservator, Preventive, at the M+ Museum, Hong Kong)
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10:45 am
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From Attending American Institute for Conservation to Building Partnership: Museum’s Preservation Strategy and Application on its Collection made of Time-based Media
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Cheng-Chung Huang (Research Assistant at National Science and Technology Museum, Taiwan)
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11:15 am
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Panel Discussion/Q&A
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12:10 pm
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Close
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Day 4: Saturday, January 8, 2022 (Taipei Time)
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Session 4: Documenting and Conserving Contemporary and Time-Based Media Art
Chair: Joy Bloser (Assistant Objects Conservator at The Menil Collection, USA)
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09:00 am
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Introduction by Session Chair
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09:05 am
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Design Alternative Museum Collection Storage Unit in Developing Countries
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Alisa Putri (Registrar at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara, Indonesia)
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09:35 am
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Re-Display and Instructions
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Yuichiro Taira (Project Associate Professor, Institution for Art Innovation at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan)
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10:05 am
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Break
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10:15 am
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Conservation of Art Installations, A Case Study
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Gabrielle Marguerite Vicente (Archivist at King Kong Art Projects Unlimited, the Philippines)
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10:45 am
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Driven by Necessity: Reflections on Preservation Practices at HIGURE
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Yukiko Watari (Project Manager at HIGURE 17-15 cas, Japan)
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11:15 am
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Panel Discussion/Q&A
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12:00 pm
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Closing Remarks
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Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts
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12:10 pm
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Close
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Acknowledgment:
Shu-Wen Lin(Program Chair)
Joy Bloser(Program Co-Chair)
Liz Behrend (Asian Cultural Council, New York)
Su-Fen Yen (National Palace Museum, Taipei)
Saki Kunikata (Tokyo University of the Arts)
Roger Griffith (MoMA, New York)
Tomoyo Yoshioka (Art conservation 108, Tokyo)
Paula Tsai (Gladstone Gallery, New York)
Kenji Kajiya (The University of Tokyo)
Jo-Fan Huang & Alessandra Guarascio (M+ Museum, Hong Kong)
Laura Hoffman (the National Museum of Women in the Arts, D.C.)
Amber Kerr and Dan Finn (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
