Southeast Asia Initiative
Dedicated to advancing the study of Southeast Asian art, this initiative features courses, daytime lunch talks with leading professionals in the field, evening public lectures that engage broader audiences, and an upcoming conference that will bring together international scholars, curators, and artists. This multi-faceted approach creates opportunities for both intimate professional dialogue and public engagement, while building momentum toward our goal of cultivating the next generation of leaders in Southeast Asian art history enhanced by partnerships with colleagues around the world, including in Singapore and Thailand.
National Gallery Singapore's Chief Curator Patrick Flores Named Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professor at The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU
Read MoreAbout the Varnedoe Professorship
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 6:00pm
Gender, Autonomy, and Performance in Vietnam: An Evening with Lại Diệu Hà and Nhi Lê
Lại Diệu Hà, artist, Nhi Lê, artist, Lumi Tan, curator, moderated by Catherine Quan Damman
Read More about Gender, Autonomy, and Performance in Vietnam
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 6:30pm
Logics of Localisation: Vernacular Islamic tombstone traditions of Sumatra
Lecture by Jessica Rahardjo, Research Associate at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford
Read More about Jessica Rahardjo's talk
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Lecture by Geok Yian Goh, Associate Professor of History, Nanyang Technological University
Monday, March 30, 2026
Curatorial Workshop with Ho Tzu Nyen, Artist and Curator of the Gwangju Biennale
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Lecture by Ho Tzu Nyen, Artist and Curator of the Gwangju Biennale
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Lecture by Eric Tagliacozzo, John Stambaugh Professor of History, Cornell University
Lecture Series
South-East Asian Connections:
Art, History, and Archipelagos
The Institute establishes The Institutum Series on Southeast Asia Fund, dedicated to supporting comprehensive research and programming in Southeast Asian art across historical periods and contemporary practice.
Read MoreAbout the Institutum Series