Nguyen Trinh Thi, Letters from Panduranga, 2015, still from single-channel video, 35 min. Courtesy the artist.

In 1953, Carlos P. Romulo, the then Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States, described Southeast Asia as “the theatre of conflict between the free world and the Soviet world,” representing “the margin between victory and defeat for freedom.” Beginning with an examination of the exhibition of the First Southeast Asia Art Conference and Competition in Manila in 1957, this talk focuses on pragmatic mediation—of switching political allegiances and circumventing power. Responding to the artworks of Ghosts and Spectres – Shadows of History, it considers the legacy of the Cold War battle for ‘hearts and minds’ in Southeast Asia and cultural production that navigates as much as it is informed by geo-politics.

Venue: The Single Screen, Block 43 Malan Road

When: 15 Nov 2017, 7.30pm - 9pm

By: NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore)