BACKGROUND

The Austrian government has six years of formal investment in Austro-Sino arts initiatives conducted in China. The full impact of these developments have yet to be presented to the public in an accessible format.

ASAP seeks to create a Beijing based, multifunctional, arts venue to serve as exhibition, performance, and resource space for creative information exchange between Chinese and Austrian artists. ASAP programming will shed light on past initiatives and bring them to international attention, provide a comprehensive platform for the current contemporary community, and better facilitate the Austro-Sino arts and culture dialogue.

ASAP held an informal needs assessment of Austrian artists currently in China as well as past participants of the Austrian Cultural Forums residency programming in China. Primary concerns were listed as a desire to show China-produced work in China, a need for assistance regarding networking, and a desire for a stronger Austrian community abroad. In conjunction with these needs and the thriving international arts interest in Beijing, ASAP was founded.

The Austrian government has six years of formal investment in Austro-Sino arts initiatives conducted in China. Since 2003, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Austrian Ministry of Art, Sports and Culture has annually sponsored eight to ten Austrian artists to travel to and work in China. The full impact of these developments have yet to be presented to the public in an accessible format.

Though mainly sponsored by one funding body, artists come to China on an individual basis. Many Austrian artists stay on to continue the development of their works and many more return annually.

ASAP seeks to unite these individual creative efforts to showcase Austrian contemporary arts and more formally offer an open invitation for engagement and collaboration to the Chinese community.

ASAP does not seek to be a gallery or a museum but a flexible functioning cultural space, showcasing the Austrian-Sino ongoing arts dialogue by presenting Austrian artistic works of all mediums in an accessible open environment for the general public.