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ASEAN Trend

Lao Art: From Tradition and Natureto Contemporary Critique

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Lao Art: From Tradition and Natureto Contemporary Critique   Written by _ Eunkyung Chung of the E.K. Art Gallery   Lao PDR is not typically thought of as a thriving art hub.As a one-party state, the country’s government has beenruled solely by the Lao People’s Revolution Party (LPRP)since 1975. In the past, art was used as a medium by whichto establish and promote both the party and communism.However, by the 1980s, the party began to initiate a set ofreforms that opened the country to the rest of the world andintroduced a market-driven economy. It was on the heelsof these changes that the Lao art scene entered a period ofrenaissance. Today, while prominent domestic restrictions on artistic remain—political criticisms are not likely tomake it past state censors—many artists are now travelingabroad to release works that wrestle with the rapidenvironmental and social changes that haveaccompanied Lao PDR’s recent economic growth.Others are keen to let their imaginations run free,yielding works of creativity that are earning therespect and admiration of their global peers.The country's leading art education institution isthe National Institute of Fine Arts (NIFA). Sinceits opening in 1959, it has produced some of thecountry’s most outstanding artists. Some of theschool's alumni are passionate about capturing theeveryday lives of common people, as well as urbanand rural landscapes, using an impressionist style.Also, in the works of artists who have returnedfrom studying in Eastern Europe, France, Thailand,and Viet Nam, there are traces of contemporarystyles such as abstract art. Still others are gaining notoriety at internationalgalleries for the originality of their contemporary artpieces, many of which offer insightful commentaryon Lao society. As the contemporary art scenecontinues to grow, so too are there more art venuesspringing up around the country. In 2018, a specialproject between Lao PDR and South Korea led tothe opening of the Wind Trace Art Museum in aforested area of Pakse, a small town in the southernpart of the country. This joint venture, which wasdeveloped to foster exchanges between the twonations, made news when a Korean was appointedas its first director. A year earlier, the Lao PDR &Korea Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition 2017was held at the National Institute of Fine Arts inthe nation’s capital Vientiane, along with artistsaffiliated with the Korean Fine Arts Associationand the Lao Fine Arts Association. The Lao worksin this exhibition, as mentioned earlier, realisticallydepict the traditional Lao Laotian lifestyle andlandscapes in the impressionist style.    

Major ASEAN Countries,Actively Introduce Eco-friendlyRenewable Energy Policie

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Major ASEAN Countries,Actively Introduce Eco-friendlyRenewable Energy Policie   Advisor, ASEAN-India Center, Korean National Diplomatic Academy, Former Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man   First, Indonesia has set a national energy policy goalof increasing the utilization ratio of renewable energyto 23% in 2025 and 31% in 2050 to maximize the useof renewable energy. To this end, the Indonesiangovernment amended the law on the use of renewableenergy sources in June 2020 and announced plansto build hydropower and geothermal power plantsin September of the same year. It has also decidedto invest $20 billion in renewable energy by 2024to power 40% of new power plants in the futureand make better use of resource potential—59% ofgeothermal, 80% of bio, 51% of hydro, 22% of solar,and 46% of wind energy—by 2050. Malaysia is implementing its NEW 3.0 policy topromote the use of solar power and the disseminationof related facilities. NEW 3.0 is Malaysia’s newelectricity bill calculation policy, which divides thetypes of energy users into civilian, governmentinstitutions, and businesses, and differentiates thegovernment incentives for the introduction of solarfacilities for each entity. Malaysia, in particular, is aregion rich in solar resources. To take advantage ofthis strength, the country announced the long-termSolar PV Roadmap in 2017 and aims to become theworld’s largest photovoltaics producer by 2030.     With a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissionsby 2050, Vietnam has plans to reduce the share ofcoal and natural gas to 37% and 21% respectivelywhile increasing the share of hydro to 18% andrenewable energy such as solar and wind to 35%. TheVietnam government has been especially active inimplementing feed-in tariffs for solar resulting in 16.6GW of solar generation capacity (a 25 fold increasecompared to 2018 and 10th largest in the world) whichthe government aims to increase to 26 GW by 2030. The Philippines has laid out the Philippine EnergyEfficiency Roadmap 2014-30, which includes sectorspecific strategies for the transportation, industrial,commercial, and residential sectors. This roadmapaims to provide energy demand and supply prospects,establish sector-specific plans for oil, gas, coal, andrenewable energy, and reduce energy intensitytowards a low-carbon, eco-friendly future. Thepotential geothermal capacity of the Philippines, theworld’s second-largest generator of geothermal power,is about 2,500 MW. In accordance with the energysupply plan for 2012-2030, the country’s Departmentof Energy plans to build 26 geothermal plants over thenext 18 years to increase geothermal production by 62%.  

2021 Global Climate Risk Index

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2021 Global Climate Risk Index   By_‌Yang Hyang-ja, Food Researcher, Ph. D. in Dining Space Design   Environmental issues, such as environmental degradation and lack of resources, are a threat to national security as well as human existence. The situation is quite dire in ASEAN countries, which are more vulnerable to natural disasters. According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand are ranked in the world’s top 10 countries vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Damages caused by rising sea levels such as coral reef bleaching and flooding have a profound impact on infrastructures and industrial structures which are further exacerbated by climate change./p> As economic losses from natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes and floods are beginning to accumulate, ASEAN countries are contemplating how to respond at the national level. It appears that countries are establishingtwo-track policies with disaster response and recovery in the short-term and reducing pollutants in the long-term. Such policies are expected to be strengthened in the future. In November 2020, ASEAN member states held a ministerial meeting to respond jointly to natural disasters and decided to adopt a new ASEAN Disaster Management Framework which will be implemented between 2021 and 2025. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change and natural disasters, ASEAN countries are reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and promoting environmental friendly policies such as renewable energy and electric vehicles. Production of 2,400 electric vehicles in 2019 is expected to increase to 340,000 in 2025, and the share of electric vehicles in ASEAN countries is expected to grow to 35%.   The contents of all articles may differ from the editorial direction of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.    

Bruneian Art Scene is Taking Off

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Bruneian Art Scene is Taking Off By _‌Eunkyung Chung(art columnist)     Brunei Darussalam, an Islamic kingdom in Southeast Asia, is one of the wealthiest ASEAN countryies with a per capita GDP second only to Singapore. It is a small country bordering Malaysia, with a population less than 450,000 (as of 2020) inhabiting an area about half that of Gyeonggi-do in South Korea. Although Brunei Darussalam is not typically thought of as a hub of contemporary art, the country has a small but growing number of artists some with training at institutions abroad working in a wide range of careers, such as illustrators, graphic designers, and government agency workers. Brunei Darussalam’s economy is supported mainly by oil and natural gas accounting for 90% of its total exports and 65% of its overall GDP. The enormous revenue from these exports has provided a good quality of life for the nation’s residents, which, in turn, has allowed for a budding art scene in recent years. Nevertheless, with no national museum of contemporary art, and relatively few galleries and full-time artists, Brunei Darussalam’s contemporary arts remain sorely underrepresented globally. Cultural exchange between the Brunei and Korea began after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1984. Since the sultan, or king, of Brunei Darussalam visited Korea in 2000, 2014, and 2019, there has been a steady exchange of arts and culture between the artists and institutions of both countries. With growing support from the Bruneian government, as well as rising overseas collaboration, quite a few local arts groups have taken shape, leading Brunei Darussalam to begin carving out a niche for itself in the art world. That being said, local artists still have a long way to go, but the Islamic-inspired architecture of the nation’s mosques, royal palace, and arts and crafts provide a strong foundation for aspiring young artists to draw from as they explore new ways to represent their country to the world.   If you would like to learn more about Bruneian art, we recommend stopping by to the permanent exhibition on the second floor of the ASEAN Culture House for a glimpse into the small but rich arts and culture of Brunei Darussalam.  

Bridging Korea and Viet Nam Through Art

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Bridging Korea and Viet Nam Through Art By _ JeongEun-gyeong, CEO of EK Art Gallery Among the 10 ASEAN member states, VietNam has one of the most active exhibition exchanges with South Korea. With the prominent presence of Korean businesses in Viet Nam, the two countries are already closely connected in the economic and trade sectors. Coach Park Hang-seo, a Korean football manager who serves as head coach of the Vietnamese national team, is another key influence bringing them together. A group exhibition of artists from the two countries, called the Korea-Vietnam Art Exchange Exhibition, has been held regularly, and is sponsored by the respective Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as local governments in Korea and VietNam. Despite such dynamism of government-led initiatives, it is still rare to find Korean galleries picking up and connecting Vietnamese artists to Korean collectors through special exhibitions and art fairs. For this next step, there needs to be a higher Vietnamese interest in art. The country has only a small number of art museums and galleries, and the production quality of exhibitions still has a long way to go. Exhibition spaces are concentrated in Hanoi, the political capital of Viet Nam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the economic capital. The themes often focus on war, family, and the everyday life of people suffering from poverty. It suggests that Vietnamese artists seemingly can not step away yet from the trauma and tragedy of the endless wars their country experienced. Some of the most notable modern museums include the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. In comparison to Korean museums, the former serves a role somewhere between those of the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. On the other hand, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is dedicated to presenting works by Viet Nam’s contemporary artists. Its main building displays local contemporary art, and the annex holds special exhibitions such as the Korea-Vietnam Art Exchange Exhibition and solo exhibitions. Aside from these, the Art in us 3D Art Gallery in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7 is also popular among the Vietnamese public for the immersive art experience it offers.

Thailand, the Awakening Treasure Trove of Contemporary Art

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Thailand, the Awakening Treasure Trove of Contemporary Art By _ JeongEun-gyeong, CEO of EK Art Gallery Among the 10 ASEAN countries, Thailand is the country with the greatest potential in contemporary art. Though it is yet to hold international art fairs, highly sophisticated art worksare exhibited by Bangkok’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), art centers, and galleries. The cityis also home to many active artists, but they find it difficult to hold exhibitions due to the limited number of venues. A significant body of Thai art distinctly embraces the themes of mythology and religion. Since around 95% of the population follows the Buddhist faith, its influence is naturally embedded into paintings. However, younger artists tend to veer away from mythological and religious inspirations, which represents a rapid generational change in the Thai art world. Perhaps it is because Thais are more open to foreigners and foreign culture, or it could be an effort to internationalize their art. Nonetheless, their exhibition spaces and exhibits are becoming very modern and international in form. A biennale is also held in Bangkok once every two years. The most recent Bangkok Art Biennale took place from October 29, 2020, to January 31, 2021, show casing a variety of exhibits displayed in galleries, public spaces, and landmarks in Bangkok’s city center. The city also hosts an art book fair every year at the Bangkok Citycity Gallery, where booths with Thai designers and small publishers meet consumers. At the Bangkok Art Book Fair, art books, photo books, posters, and souvenirs produced by designers are sold at reasonable prices and are very popular with visitors.    

Supernatural Beings in ASEAN Folklore

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Supernatural Beings in ASEAN Folklore By _Kim Si-eun, CEO of ASEAN Lab Last year, villagers on the island of Java, Indonesia, made global headlinesas they took turns dressing up as pocong, a ghost in their folklore, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As superstitious belief has it, the novel corona virus will be unable to affect villages protected by these ghosts. Pocongare similar to mummies in appearance. According to legends, the strings used to firmly tie the deceased’s shroud must be loosened, as otherwise, the soul cannot leave the body and walks about in the middle of the night, asking to be released. Other ghosts include kuntilanak, the spirit of a woman who died during childbirth, and wewegombel, a vengeful spirit of an old woman who kidnaps children. Kuntilanak some what resembles the cheonyeogwisin in Korea, who are vengeful ghosts of women who died as virgins and are thus jealous of pregnant women and obsessed with children. To thwart off kuntilanak, Indonesians carry a sharp object around. The superstition is also didactic in nature, instructing people to care deeply about the health and safety of pregnant mothers and their babies.In Thailand, where folk beliefs were widespread long before the introduction of Buddhism, the former has a significant influence on the latter. To this day, many people believe in a host of supernatural beings, which in turn flourished into a rich history of horror films. Pop,a ghost who appears in the 2012 movie Mekong Hotelby acclaimed film director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, is one of the most commonly believed myths by Thais. These ghosts look bloody and gory as they feed on people’s guts. Often said to be seen near the Mekong River, popare commonly believed to exist in everyday life. Nang nak, another ghost in Thai lore, is the spirit of Lady Nak of PhraKhanong, who died during childbirth, along with her baby, and waits for her husband to return from war. There are temples in PhraKhanongDistrict, Bangkok, that honor the spirit of nangnak. The 2013moviePee Mak, produced by Banjong Pisanthanakun, director of the 2021 Thai-Korean film The Medium, is also based on the story of nangnak. It became Thailand’s highest-grossing film of all time. Thais’strong belief in folklore is further evidenced by many more spirits, including nangtani, a female spirit that haunts wild banana trees;krahang, a goblin-like male spirit that flies around with a big pestle between his legs; and krasue, a spirit of a woman with her internal organs hanging down from the neck, who is often said to occupy the same area ask rahang.      

ASEAN Traveling to Resume This Summer

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ASEAN Traveling to Resume This Summer By_Kim Da-yeong (CEO of Hitchhickr, author of The Future of Travel) The ASEAN region boasts famous tourist destinations, such as Da Nang and Kota Kinabalu, that have long been loved by Korean travelers. While they have a great travel infrastructure and beautiful sceneries, for your next summer holidays, I would like to recommend you three destinations in the ASEAN region that may not be on your radar yet. The first is Penang Island, part of the State of Penang located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In the past, the island served as trading hub for the East and the West, and from the late 18th century, it was controlled by the British. Today, it is a beloved tourist destination due to its scenic resorts and historical attractions. Penang Island has gained particular fame as a paradise of street food. In an episode on tvN’s show, Street Food Fighter, popular Korean chef Baek Jong-won introduced a shaved ice dessert called cendol and sour noodles with fish known as assamlaksa, both popular street foods in Penang. Apart from its culinary delights, Penang Island also impresses with stunning sceneries, allowing you take perfect summery photos against the backdrop of artistic murals or the famous glow of the beach at Batu Ferringhi. Compared to luxurious destinations such as Langkawi, the accommodations are relatively affordable. You can choose to experience one of Penang’s heritage hotels, which are restored remnants of colonial architecture. There are no direct flights from Korea to Penang, but the domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, takes only an hour. The second destination I would like to recommend is the city of Luang Prabang, located in the north of Lao PDR. The city may be small—less than 60,000 people live here—but it is one of the best-known ancient cities in the ASEAN region and inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1995. As you revel in the city’s lush nature, stroll through its Buddhist temples, and explore its small but excellent night market, it may feel as though time is slowing down. Since Luang Prabang has many small resorts that are inexpensive and well-kept, you can enjoy both relaxation and urban exploration. When visiting Lao PDR, you should try khaojeepâté, a popular street food. Similar to Vietnam’s bánh mì, khaojeepâtérepresents a blend of local and French colonial food culture, combin in baguette, fresh pickles, eggs, and pork liver pâté. Khaosoi, hand sliced rice noodles in a clear soup broth topped with minced pork and tomato sauce, is another dish you must try, and if you are an early riser, you should not miss the rich milk tea and chicken porridge sold in the early mornings at traditional markets. Luang Prabang can be reached in 45 minutes with a domestic flight from the capital, Vientiane, or in two hours when flying in from Bangkok, Thailand.

With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, borders are opening up in the ASEAN region, a beloved travel destination of Koreans.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, borders are opening up in the ASEAN region, a beloved travel destination of Koreans. By _Kim Da-yeong(CEO of Hitchhickr, author of The Future of Travel) With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, borders are opening up in the ASEAN region, a beloved travel destination of Koreans. While some countries still require complicated entry processes, compared to how long it has been difficult to enter them, it is a significant change that ASEAN countries are officially allowing entry for tourism purposes again. If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can now enter Lao PDR, the Philippines, Singapore, and VietNam with out having to quarantine or take additional tests. In Cambodia and Indonesia, tourist visas are required. In Thailand, domestic and foreign travelers must obtain a “Thailand Pass”containing their health information at the time of entry, but the country is considering to scrap this system. As a result, ASEAN resorts are becoming popular again as holiday destinations this summer. With ASEAN countries rebooting their tourism industries, airlines are resuming routes to their most popular destinations. The routes that have recovered the fastest are the ones to Da Nang, Viet Nam, a favorite of Korean travelers. Since May, Jeju Air, T'Way Air, Air Seoul, and Jin Air have all resumed operations on routes from Incheon, Daegu, and Busan to Da Nang. In addition, flights from Incheon Airport to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, NhaTrang in Viet Nam, and Bangkok in Thailand are quickly joining the trend. VietJet, a Vietnamese low-cost carrier, is also reported to reopen nine routes departing from Incheon, including its Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City routes. It is expected that the number of operations will soon be restored to pre-pandemic levels. Airfares are slightly higher compared to before the pandemic, but in the second half of 2022, the supply of air routes is expected to increase and allow prices to settle at a more affordable level. The contents of all articles may differ from the editorial direction of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.

Philippine’s Rise in the Asian Art Market

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Philippine’s Rise in the Asian Art Market By_ JeongEun-gyeong, CEO of EK Art Gallery   After 333 years (1565–1898) under Spanish rule, art in the Philippines was heavily influenced by Spanish oil painting techniques in form and Catholicism in theme. During the American colonization (1898–1946), the country was also affected by US capitalism. In the past, the Philippines used to be the richest country in Asia. But due to casualties in the Pacific War (1941–1945), the rise of strong anti-US sentiment following the country’sindependence, politicians’corruption, and the resulting extreme gap between the rich and poor, the Philippine economy deteriorated and hasyet to fully recover. Meanwhile, this experience of political and social instability and economic inequality has inspired the nation’s contemporary artists. They began expressing themselves in depictions that chronicle or protest against the absurdities they face as individuals in Philippine society. The country boasts many art schools and internationally renowned artists, but the art market is still limited in size. To foster the commercial growth of the market, galleries have taken the initiative to organize international art fairs and arrange collaborative exhibitions between local art museums and overseas art institutions. Two particularly prestigious international art fairs are held every year in Metro Manila, the seat of the country’s government. In February, Art Fair Philippines is held at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati, and in October, Manil ART is held at the SMX Aura Convention Center on Bonifacio High Street in Taguig. Although they are smaller in size compared to the Korea International Art Fair(KIAF) and Art Busan in South Korea, the sales are quite impressive, and a couple of Korean galleries have also been joining the events. Major participating art museums include the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Manila, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and the PintôArt Museum in Antipolo, east of Manila.    
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