Arts Queensland supports international arts opportunities in Asia

19 Feb 2016

An artist and a curator from Queensland will further their careers in the Asia Pacific through the prestigious Asialink Arts Residency Program in 2016 with support from Arts Queensland.

The Queensland Government through Arts Queensland is investing in Queenslanders Reuben Keehan and Mandy Ridley to go to Asia for 12 weeks to exchange skills, knowledge and networks as part of the national Asialink program.

Curator Reuben Keehan has worked in Japan and curated major exhibitions of Japanese contemporary art. His residency will deepen this engagement by connecting with the renowned BankART in Yokohama and its Yokohama Triennale in 2017. Upon his return, Reuben will share his expertise with the Queensland arts sector through public engagement opportunities.

For over a decade visual artist Mandy Ridley has maintained a connection with India on a personal and professional level. She will work with Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative in Delhi, which is part of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture which promotes conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic Muslim cities. The organisation’s aim of reviving traditional craft in a contemporary format perfectly aligns with Mandy’s practice. Mandy is an outstanding artist who has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1996.  She has long shared her engagement with Asia to local artists through talks, workshops and public forums.

Both arts professionals have an ongoing passion for Asia, and will share their outcomes, new skills and networks with the broader Queensland community.

'The Asialink Arts Residency program gives artists the opportunity of immersive cultural experiences in an Asian country and helps to progress their careers through developing new skills and expanded networks. Asialink fosters enduring cross-cultural relationships and surveys show that participants actively engage with their host countries for many years after their initial residency.

The Queensland Government has been an ongoing supporter of the national program. Please see 2014 Asialink case study 

Image: Mandy Ridley, Flourish!, 2013, hand painted and stencilled acrylic paint, Ernest Street, South Brisbane. Courtesy: Asialink