KOREA FOUNDATION

On July 2, the exhibition To a Faraway Friend: Beyond Afro-Southeast Asian Affinities opened at the ASEAN Culture House in Busan, operated by the KF, under the sponsorship of the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund. Marking the second cooperative project between the ASEAN Culture House and the ASEAN Foundation, the event is part of the “KONNECT ASEAN” program promoting arts and cultural exchange between Korea and the ten ASEAN member states.

Designed by three curators hailing from Singapore, the Philippines, and Korea, the exhibition highlights regional exchange between Africa and Southeast Asia amid the rapidly changing international order since World War II, and how the affinity between both regions spread to Korea. The curators, featured artists, and staff from participating institutions have made concerted efforts to prepare and install artworks for the event, with a curator’s tour and artist talks following its opening.

Co-curator Carlos Quijon Jr. from the Philippines focused on presenting archived materials, including news clippings and books on historical incidents related to regionalism in Southeast Asia. Co-curator Leam Sooyoung from Korea introduced multifarious contemporary works such as videos, installations, and paintings of 15 artists from Korea and elsewhere. The exhibition, which runs through October 2, is an opportunity to learn about regionalism in Southeast Asia from a fresh perspective by looking at history through the lens of arts and culture, instead of a geopolitical lens. Everyone is invited to this interactive and informative event.

Contact: (82) 51-775-2000
Period: July 2 to October 2
Venue: Special Exhibition Hall, ASEAN Culture House (1F)

The curated tour of the exhibition

The artist talk session carried out in correlation to the exhibition

Exhibition view