Zoe Butt

Nguyễn Art Foundation (NAF) is pleased to announce the formation of its inaugural Board of Advisors, with the generous participation of Nora A. Taylor, Tran Luong, and Zoe Butt. Bringing together three highly respected figures whose practices have been instrumental in shaping the discourse of contemporary art in Vietnam, the Board marks a significant step in strengthening NAF’s commitment to critical, research-driven collection building and programming. The varied perspectives of each advisor – rooted in art history, artistic practice, and curatorial leadership – will offer thoughtful guidance as we continue to serve our artistic communities in Vietnam and beyond. Working in a consultative capacity, the Board will support NAF through nominations, evaluation, and dialogue, contributing to a more thoughtful and reflective approach to acquisitions and collection development. Structured around exchange and openness, this initiative reflects NAF’s belief in collaboration, diversity, and ongoing learning.

Incredibly proud of the launch of 'in-tangible texts' - a digital  publication in Thai and English. See link in bio: /@in -tangible_texts in-tangible texts offers close mentorship (by established writers, teachers, and editors) for invited authors and their writing of texts—essays, poems, personal reflections, interviews and other modes of critical writing—that draw from their lived experiences and embodied encounters with select artists, artworks, or collections. Written works are commissioned per edition and individually published over the course of several months on 'in-tangible texts' online platform: /@in -tangible_texts With huge thanks to Blake Palmer (Program Director, in-tangible institute) for his tireless work in making this idea now real, and to Lee Weng Choy, for his persistence in reminding why we must do this! Shout out to all the commissioned, yet to be commissioned writers living in Southeast Asia and the myriad mentors giving their time : if you are interested in participating, please contact in-tangible institute! Read more of this initiative on website of 'in-tangible institute' (see link in bio). ..... For so many years, it has been a personal dream to establish and lead an editorial board that expands the writing community who care about contemporary art and its audiences, particularly in Southeast Asia. I've heard too many hopeful supporters struggle to learn their art scenes because they don't know where to read and learn from new voices; too many artists struggle with a lack of critical engagement of their practice to share; too many curators stating that they don't have space to exercise their critical writing muscles. It is not easy to fund such task, and thus this has taken time and considered generous community, to realize in-tangible texts. We still need much more support to ensure that this initiative can roll on in the long term - yet I am hopeful that the results you will see over the coming year will bear witness to the strength, creativity, criticality and determination of emerging writers in our region. If you are interested in supporting, do reach out to 'in-tangible institute'.

I want to be better present with my imagination in 2026. Live with the critical knowing that it is shaped by what i feed it. I want to fight my default to the screen, to refuse the quip 'i have no time', to acknowledge the conflict between 'mind over matter'. To do this, I need to be more present with what i take for granted, to better understand just how much the process of exploitation is endemic to our way of life. So I write this in the hope it prompts me to indeed - be present! Love, light and laughter lead on!

I am grateful for so many spaces carefully created during my time in Sharjah last week with DAAS (Decolonizing Art Architecture Studies). Between the white cube art space, the outdoor courtyard, the desert, the community garden, the school auditorium - we listened. Intensely. As makers. Being vulnerable. As people. Caring for the integrity of our communities, past and present. Questioning what is presumed as given. We debated the differences between a 'demodernizing' or a 'dewesternization' of our ways and means whilst sipping juice, karak chai and coffee; as advisors and participants we discussed the need to be radically present in a clime where the future is coveted as a human and mechanic potential in exploitation; where we asked how knowledge can find footing in educational systems today that prioritize the customer over the student. Anchored in the architectural leanings of artists Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, I was reminded how crucial it is to recall we are all a series of arrivals and departures, who, despite great enforced displacement, find belonging in the cracks. Hailing from Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, The Netherlands, Italy, and countless other contexts that i was not with time (alas) to sit, I hugged myself with the solid laughter in criticality that embraced each day and night. Shout out to the incredible hospitality of Sahil Latheef and Mona El Mousfy and the Sharjah Architectural Triennial team. To the participants who re-charged my commitment to my own work (I really want to stay in touch!), to my fellow advisors present - my confidantes equally struggling in this topsy turvy world of assumption - May Al-Dabbagh, Shahram Khosravi, Charles Esche and Walter Mignolo. To Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti - dear friends you are guiding lights in your precious conjuring of culture as verb, in your building of relationality that nurtures agency to fight despite the odds.

'Mentoring in Cycles/Intergenerational Learning' is a text i wrote for a dear friend, Omar Kholeif, on another dear friend, Thao Nguyen Phan. Two incredible minds which tick in ways always inspiring. Sharing a little about what continues to motivate this mentoring in my world. Read it in full at The Brooklyn Rail. See link in bio. (This should have been posted so long ago, but better late than never!) Image: Thao Nguyen Phan 'Reincarnations of Shadows (2023–24)' installation at Palais de Tokyo, 2025.

When i first heard the sounds of traditional Lanna wind instruments i was immediately transported in space, recalling so many other ritual cultures where such music calls the spirits to guide and protect. Next Saturday evening at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum (May 31 @ 7pm) - please join in-tangible institute for a performance by three local experts (Thitipol Kanteewong, Monthatip Suksopha, Ronnarong Khampha) in the stories and dreams of the Lanna Kingdom, where music, dance and shadow come alive to question the impact of our digital world on our bodies, memories and connection to Nature. Commissioned in response to the moving images of Chinese artist Liu Chuang (currently on view in 'LIVING ANOTHER FUTURE'). Thitipol Kanteewong shares, 'Liu Chuang gives picture of the role of technology in our understanding of time, space and materiality – of how nature has been overridden by our digital devices. In my own musical practice, I have been studying the Kong Puja traditional Buddhist drum practices of various ethnic communities in Northern Thailand especially in Nan Province, where the magic of the script within the birthing of particular drum communicates with the spirit world, beckoning good fortune with the elements. For many years I have asked myself why Chiang Mai does not possess this tradition today, since the 1700s. Is it because the introduction of a new technology – the bell – a new instrument from the central of Thailand has replaced the traditional drum and subsumed such traditional belief in urban society?' 🗓️ Date: May 31, 2025 | 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Please arrive at 7:00 PM) 📍 @maiiam_art_museum , Chiang Mai Ticket price: 100 THB. Students and museum members may attend free of charge. Reserve seats via: https://forms.gle/wKQiQyMUYf5exKrL9 or at the information counter at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum For more information contact: [email protected]⁹

I've been in Kurdistan, visiting my Kurdish family, for the past 2 weeks. I've seen so many mountains - green grassed rolling landscapes in front of majestic rocky cliffs - you can feel time here in ways unimaginable. Its like earth's fingers reached up to try and find the sky. And you know that its attempt was millions and millions of years ago as the evidence of immense water forces shaping the mountain crevices is still there. This is the land of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, the discovery of the neanderthal, the brewing of the very first beer. And the food! Kurdish hospitality is unlike any other. Tea houses line the streets, amongst a zillion street vendors selling all things fruit from the mountains and young ones exclaim in delight at the sight. In this cash economy, currency exchange hawkers fill the streets, stacks of bills openly sit on their tables and no one phased with paranoia of theft. I was amazed at how 'Capital' as is the experience of much global tourism, feels much more 'Cultural' here in this part of Kurdistan. Children long for what is naturally seasonal, as opposed to what is trending as man-made and popular. Today my family in Sulaymaniyah, lives in what is known as 'Iraq', this country's northern most tip is the only part of Kurdistan today that has its own governmental jurisdiction and borderlines*. I entered on a Kurdish (not Iraqi) visa. In this post-conflict resilient community (the ISIS war ended in 2017), there is much urban development. It felt a little like Beijing in the late 1990s, its city center full of traditional life, while its city outskirts are full of cranes and emerging skyscrapers. The Kurds are frustrated with their government however, turning their capital (Hawler) into a 'Dubai', which is luring foreign Arab wealth that is threatening Kurdish cultural ways of life (a symptom not only noted in its capital). Sadly culture seems to be at the bottom of their list, even though Kurdish culture - its music, dance and art - have been inspirational for centuries of revolutionary zeal in their fight for sovereignty. (Further notes in comments!)

Enroute to KL for this! @ilhamgallerykl @in_tangible_institute 'POLLINATION 4: the palms of y/our hands'. Created by Diana Nway Htwe, Jae Jae, M, Mark Teh, Okui Lala, Steven Nyi Nyi & collaborators Join us on opening day, Sunday, April 20: 11:30 AM – Curatorial walkthrough led by Steven Nyi Nyi (in Burmese) 2:30 PM – Curatorial walkthrough led by Mark Teh, Diana Htwe, Okui Lala, Jae Jae, and Steven Nyi Nyi (in English) Tues, 22nd April: 8:00 PM- Lecture Performance by Diana Htwe followed by a post-performance discussion This edition of POLLINATION, titled the palms of y/our hands, connects, compares, and converses with multiple generations from Myanmar. Embracing hidden migration stories, particularly anchored between, and from, Penang and Yangon, the palms of y/our hands explores the overlaps, parallels, repetitions, and differences, as well as cycles of migration, mobility, and waves of flight.       The co-creators in this endeavour strive to go beyond the representation of despair, violence, broken-ness, and negative affect that often accompanies exhibitions or artistic projects concerning contexts of conflict. The 2021 military coup in Myanmar, which serves as a critical juncture to this edition of POLLINATION, has brought large scale violence, forced conscriptions, and economic hardship, spurring many to flee their homes and their country. Confronted with this ongoing trauma, the curators, artists, and collaborators behind this edition desire a reparative project that offers a multi-layering of the spatial, relational, spiritual, inter/national vibrations between the contexts of its creators, namely Myanmar and Malaysia. Yet it is not bound only to these two contexts, for it seeks to give agency to the universal role of friendship and trust in times of conflict and its often enforced dislocation, towards the writing of stories whose experiences are rarely given legacy. On view 20 April – 20 July 2025 (Level 3) at ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Discover more about the exhibition and POLLINATION at /programs_pollination_edition-4/ #ILHAM #ILHAMArtGallery #ArtGallery #artgallerykl  #Exhibition #ArtExhibition #Pollination

OPEN CALL - deCentral Artwork Production grants deCentral, an art initiative by Central Group, is now accepting applications for its Artwork Production Grant program. Offering 9 grants of 150,000 THB each to support bold, contemporary works that address the urgent social and global realities of our time. At deCentral we seek to not only elevate individual artistic practice, but also to strengthen this country’s broader cultural ecology, hoping for increased engagement, collaboration, support and global competitiveness in Thai contemporary art. Applications close: 30 June 2025. More info and application: decentralth.com or forms.gle/GHECnSRhTW18iB5YA ____________________________________ for more information : [email protected] #deCentral #ProductionGrant #CENTRALGROUP #ThaiContemporaryArt #ArtWithoutLimits deCentral (ดีเซ็นทรัล) โครงการศิลปะที่ริเริ่มโดยกลุ่มเซ็นทรัล เปิดรับสมัครศิลปินไทยที่สนใจร่วมโครงการ “ทุนสนับสนุนการผลิตผลงานศิลปะ (Production Grant)” 📌 ดูเพิ่มเติม: deCentralth.com . 'deCentral' มีเป้าหมายที่จะส่งเสริมและเปิดโอกาสให้ศิลปินไทยได้เติบโต จึงจัดตั้งโครงการ “ทุนสนับสนุนการผลิตผลงานศิลปะ (Production Grant)” 📚 มอบทุนจำนวน 9 ทุน ทุนละ 150,000 บาท . เพื่อให้การสนับสนุนศิลปินไทยรุ่นใหม่และศิลปินที่มีประสบการณ์แต่มีข้อจำกัดด้านทุนทรัพย์ ให้สามารถสร้างสรรค์ผลงานใหม่ที่สะท้อนแนวคิดร่วมสมัยและวิพากษ์ประเด็นสังคมและโลกที่กำลังเผชิญในปัจจุบัน รวมไปถึงการเสริมสร้างระบบนิเวศทางศิลปะของประเทศให้แข็งแกร่งยิ่งขึ้น . เปิดรับสมัคร 1 เมษายน – 30 มิถุนายน 2568 📌 ดูรายละเอียดการสมัคร หรือสามารถสมัครได้ที่ deCentralth.com หรือ https://forms.gle/GHECnSRhTW18iB5YA . ประกาศรายชื่อผู้ที่ผ่านการคัดเลือก 15 กันยายน 2568 โดยผลงานที่ได้รับทุนสนับสนุนจะถูกจัดแสดงที่ deCentral เพื่อเปิดโอกาสให้ผู้คนในแวดวงศิลปะ และผู้ชมจากทั่วโลกได้ชื่นชม . สอบถามรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมได้ที่ [email protected] . . #deCentral #productiongrant #CENTRALGROUP

Grateful to @maiiam_art_museum for the chance to create this tome. With immense thanks to my editor, @jblakepalmer , alongside writers @tay_graiwoot Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn, Minh Nguyen, @chaivaranon and @kamonpan.t . This catalog also includes the voices of select interdisciplinary community from Chiang Mai, whose reflections on particular artwork has been immensely valuable (and regularly commented on by visiting public alike!). Shout out to @goodghostinthemuseum.jpg and @ebooth1969 for making this happen :-) Order your copy from MAIIAM bookstore! And of course with out the artwork, well this wouldn't exist! @tuan.andrew.nguyen @sammy baloji @khvaysamnang @liuchuangstudio @ouhaddou_sara @naiza_khan_art @fotodokkma_dansoung @ubatsat @thidoclab @jenliu3 @takusno @taiki_sakpisit

Repost : Fire Station is pleased to announce the 2025/26 Open Call for the Arts Intensive Study Program (AISP). This is a transformative opportunity for emerging visual artists to engage in an immersive, interdisciplinary environment where they can refine their technical skills, deepen their conceptual approaches, and expand their artistic practices. The fully funded program offers a comprehensive, intensive curriculum designed to foster critical thinking, hands-on learning, and professional development for a cohort of 20 emerging international and َQatari artists. The program is led by Artistic Director Wael Shawky. Program Duration: 15 September 2025 - 15 June 2026 Application Deadline: 20 April 2025 See here for how to apply: /250513882916461

Read the full text by @tay_graiwoot Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn in the exhibition catalog of LIVING ANOTHER FUTURE. Available for purchase as of Sunday, March 23, 2025! Join us on March 23, from 3-5pm at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum for a special discussion with Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn, @jonjakkrit Sangkhamanee, moderated by Zoe Butt, who together will ponder today’s global consumption, which has a history and impact on our planet that is near annihilating our resources necessary for our way of life—what ethical strategies of resilience do we witness in combat of such a destructive future? **This event conducted in English and Thai, with respective translation. Images from the exhibition: 1. Khvay Samnang. Preah Kunlong (The way of the spirit) (2017 - 2019) 2. Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn. The Virus of our Beliefs, “Empty Forest” series (2017) 3. Liu Chuang. Lithium Lake and the Island of Polyphony II (2023)