Reframing Narratives : ASIAN ART HISTORIES Conference 2026

TICKETING CONDITIONS The conference is a community-led initiative and will be free to attend, as we want to make it as accessible as possible to students, researchers, and members of the public who are interested in Asian art histories.To help ensure that reserved places are utilised and to minimise no-shows, a refundable attendance deposit of S$10 is required for each ticket at the time of registration. How it works: A refundable deposit of S$10 per ticket is payable when you register online. Upon arrival at the conference, please check in at the registration desk. Your attendance will be recorded. Once your attendance has been verified, your S$10 deposit will be automatically refunded to your original payment method within 24 hours of the event. Participants who do not attend the conference, or who fail to check in at the registration desk, will forfeit the deposit. This refundable deposit helps us manage attendance more accurately and allows us to maximise participation at this free community event. We appreciate your understanding and support in helping us reduce no-shows and ensure that places are available to those who wish to attend. Optional Donation As the conference is a community-led initiative that is free to attend and is being organised without grant funding or corporate sponsorship, you are welcome to donate your refundable deposit to support the conference instead of receiving a refund. If you wish to do so, simply indicate this when you check in at the registration desk. Your S$10 deposit will then be treated as a voluntary donation to help support future editions of the conference and initiatives that foster research, dialogue, and community in Asian art histories. There is absolutely no obligation to donate. We are grateful for your attendance and support, whether you choose to receive your refund or contribute towards the continued growth of this community initiative. DETAILED PROGRAMME 12:00 – 1:00p.m.Registration 1:00 – 1:10p.m. Welcome and Opening address 1:10 – 2:15p.m. Session 1 Reframing Tradition: Modernity and the Transformation of Asian Visual Cultures, moderated by Dr Michelle Lim This session examines how artistic traditions are continually reinterpreted rather than simply preserved. Through studies of Korea's enduring tiger iconography, Shanghai's reconstructed visual modernity, and Japan's avant-garde reinvention of calligraphy, the papers explore how Asian visual cultures negotiate tradition, identity, and modernity across changing historical and global contexts. 2:15 – 2:30p.m. Bio break 2:30 – 3:35p.m. Session 2 Negotiating Identity: Memory, Belonging and Representation in Asian Art Histories, moderated by Dr Iola Lenzi This session explores how artistic practices negotiate identity through memory, archives, and representation. From feminist infrastructures that preserve marginalised histories, to photomedia that reimagines Malaysian nationhood, and contemporary engagements with Jawi script that challenge cultural and political narratives, the papers examine how artists and scholars construct, contest, and reframe identities across Southeast Asia. 3:35 – 4:00p.m. Tea break 4:00 – 5:05p.m. Session 3 Afterlives of Conflict: Reframing War and Memory in Asian Art Histories, moderated by Dr Seng Yu Jin This session explores how visual culture shapes the memory and afterlives of conflict across Asia. Through studies of Japanese war prints, Cambodian post-genocide moving-image art, and the enduring circulation of Vietnam War photography, the papers examine how art constructs martial identities, mediates trauma, and continually reframes historical violence across generations and media. 5:05 – 5:30p.m Reframing Narratives: Closing Roundtable with the 3 moderators After 5:30p.m. Networking