Assembly

Slow Dating provides one-on-one encounters for artists and presenters/curators. Each meeting runs for 15 minutes.

Time: Friday, 16 October, 2026, 13:00–14:00

Venue: 11F Studio 3, Taipei Performing Arts Center

Language: English 

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Curators List

Eaton HK (Hong Kong)

Eaton Workshop is a global mission-driven hospitality company. Eaton HK is Eaton Workshop’s original hometown location in Kowloon, a welcoming cultural hub for kindred spirits to convene, collaborate, and create. Eaton offers a diverse range of cultural programming that is deeply locally engaged, yet with an international, multicultural outlook. Eaton’s original programming in the fields of visual art, music, radio, film, talks, readings, theater, and new media explores the many intersectional connections between the sociocultural dialogues of our times. Eaton HK is the ultimate cultural hub and inclusive sanctuary for hotel guests and Hong Kongers interested in art and culture, music, community, food and beverage, and more.

Cultural Director｜Joseph Chen (Hong Kong)

Joseph Chen is a Hong Kong-based curator, researcher, and artist currently serving as Director of Culture at Eaton HK. In this role, he leads cultural programming and impact-driven partnerships, collaborating with institutions such as Art Basel Hong Kong, M+, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong Ballet, and City Contemporary Dance Company.

Previously, Chen curated and managed exhibitions and public programs at leading Hong Kong art institutions, Para Site and Videotage. Throughout his curatorial career, he has partnered with hundreds of artists to produce exhibitions, stage performances, and commission new works, with recent collaborators including Joshua Serafin, Xavier Le Roy, Natasha Tontey, Shu Lea Cheang, and Melati Suryodarmo.

Alongside his institutional work, Chen maintains an independent artistic practice. As co-founder of Virtue Village and a founding member of Video Cypher, he actively explores self-organized models and collaborative art-making.

M+ (Hong Kong)

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

CHANEL Senior Curator & Head of Moving Image｜Silke Schmickl (Germany/Hong Kong)

Silke Schmickl is the CHANEL Senior Curator, Head of Moving Image at M+ in Hong Kong. She was previously curator at the National Gallery Singapore and the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, a researcher at the German Center for Art History in Paris, and the co-founding director of Lowave, a Paris-based curatorial platform and publishing house for moving image artists. She has initiated and directed numerous art and film projects focusing on emerging art scenes in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and has curated exhibitions in partnership with museums and biennials around the world. Recent projects at M+ include Shanshui: Echoes and Signals, Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time and the yearly Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival.

Indonesian Dance Festival (Indonesia)

Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF) is a biennial platform for presentation, research, and exchange in contemporary dance. As the longest-running contemporary dance festival in Southeast Asia, IDF has spent more than three decades supporting choreographers, fostering equitable collaborations, and strengthening Indonesia’s dance ecosystem. Through festivals, laboratories, residencies, discussions, and international exchanges, IDF creates opportunities for artists to develop their practices, engage in critical dialogue, and build meaningful connections across Indonesia and beyond.

Since its establishment, IDF has presented more than 270 performances, engaged over 330 choreographers, and commissioned or reconstructed 43 works. Working with artists, curators, institutions, and dance communities across Indonesia and internationally, IDF is committed to creating sustainable pathways for artistic development and long-term international partnerships. Its programs connect artistic practice with research, knowledge exchange, and new forms of collaboration, contributing to a more diverse, resilient, and connected dance ecosystem.

Director｜Ratri Anindyajati (Indonesia)

Ratri Anindyajati is an Independent Producer working with both Indonesian and international artists globally. She currently sits as Director for the Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF), Jakarta’s biennial international contemporary dance festival held since 1992 and is the longest standing festival of its kind in Southeast Asia. With an LA based artist Edgar Arceneaux, she co-founded Rarara!, an interdisciplinary production company consisting of an international ensemble of artists, designers and performers. Ratri’s projects include dance, theater, arts festivals, exhibitions, and her passion lies in bringing Indonesian performance to the globe as well as storytelling and producing works which explore humanity and identity through diversity of cultures. Ratri holds a Bachelors in Political Science from Parahyangan Catholic University (Bandung, Indonesia) and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Producing and Management from the Theater Department of California Institute of the Arts (Los Angeles, USA).

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (Japan)

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) was founded in 1995 by Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. SPAC is the first publicly funded cultural organization in Japan to have residential actors as well as technical and administrative staff that manages its own theatre venues and facilities for artistic purposes. 

As a creative base for the performing arts, it generates programs for creation, presentation, education, and exchange and collaboration with artists and institutions in Japan and abroad. SUZUKI Tadashi served as the first General Artistic Director of SPAC from 1997 through March 2007. 

In April 2007, MIYAGI Satoshi was appointed General Artistic Director, and SPAC entered a new phase under his direction. SPAC engages in a wide range of activities, such as creating various theatre pieces, organizing the World Theatre Festival Shizuoka, inviting students to the theatre, developing theatrical professionals, touring abroad, and enhancing outreach programs.

Artistic Director｜Natsuki Ishigami (Japan)

Natsuki Ishigami is a Japanese theatre-maker whose practice focuses on community-based creation and socially engaged performance. Since 2012, she has created projects with local residents throughout Japan and Asia, including Give Me Chocolate! Payatas (Philippines, 2017) and the Oeshiki Project (Culture City of East Asia 2019). She also works as a director of artistic programs, directing the Stage Art Sector in Culture City of East Asia 2019 Toshima and serving as a guest curator for 2019 ADAM Artist Lab. She has co-created several productions with SPAC since 2021 and became its Artistic Director in 2025

Minato Arts Center m~m (Japan)

Minato Arts Center m~m is a new cultural arts center established by Minato City, Tokyo, opening in November 2027 in the heart of Tokyo. Located directly adjacent to Hamamatsucho Station, it is just 15 minutes from both Haneda Airport and Tokyo Station. 

At its core is a 600-seat proscenium theater, complemented by a variety of spaces in different sizes for performances, exhibitions, workshops, and other creative activities. Bringing together theater, music, dance, contemporary art, and diverse forms of cultural practice, m~m aims to create opportunities for people to encounter, participate in, and shape culture.

Connecting Minato with artistic practices and ideas from Japan and around the world, it will serve as an open and dynamic platform for dialogue, creativity, and exchange among diverse communities.

Program Director｜Chiaki Soma (Japan)

Art producer, curator, founder and representative director of NPO Arts Commons Tokyo. Specializes in cross-disciplinary curation and production of contemporary art, socially engaged art, and media art using VR/AR technology, with a focus on theater and performance. Over the past 20 years, she has directed numerous festivals and projects in Japan, Asia, and Europe. Among them, she was the first Program Director of Festival/Tokyo (2009-2013), Curator of the Performing Arts Section of Aichi Triennale 2019 and 2022, Founding president and Artistic Director of Theater Commons Tokyo (2017-present).  In 2023, she was the first non-Westerner to serve as Program Director (Artistic Director) of the Theater der Welt in Germany. She has been awarded the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from French Minister of Culture in 2015 and the Art Encouragement Prize from Japanese Minister of Culture in 2021.  She is currently Associate Professor for The Graduate School of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts since 2021. She is appointed to be the program director of Minato Arts Center m~m, which will open in November 2027.

KL Festival (Malaysia)

KL Festival 2026 is a flagship city celebration spanning performing arts, visual arts, design, fashion, film, literature, and environment - interwoven across heritage buildings and public spaces in Downtown Kuala Lumpur under Think City and Kuala Lumpur City Hall. Rooted in creativity, cultures and communities, the festival activates the city through heritage-led urban regeneration, transforming the historic areas into vibrant cultural destinations. 

KL Festival 2026 ran from 6 to 31 May with the artistic theme of ‘Memory & Tomorrow’ and 80 multidisciplinary events and activations were carried out over 25 venues across Downtown KL, bringing together local and international artists, partners, and local community-based organisations.  

Artistic Director｜June Tan (Malaysia)

June Tan is a producer, scriptwriter and member of the arts collective Five Arts Centre, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She studied Biology at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine and worked in the corporate sector while stage-managing, tour-managing and producing arts projects. June uses her diverse experience to create platforms for artmaking and to enable social activism and change.  In 2026 June became the Artistic Director of KL Festival, a month-long arts and cultural festival organised by the city. From 2018-2020 June was Director for TPAM in Yokohama, an arts platform reflecting contemporary thinking in Asia. June also writes and produces for films and TV and won Best Screenplay for Spilt Gravy on Rice at the Malaysian Film Festival (2022).  She is also active in ReformARTsi, a grassroots coalition seeking arts policy change and sits on the board of the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation (FINAS).

KINANI International Platform for Contemporary Dance (Mozambique)

The KINANI International Platform for Contemporary Dance, founded in Maputo in 2005, is a space for creation, encounter, circulation and critical reflection dedicated to contemporary performing arts, with a particular focus on dance and choreographic practices. Held as a biennial platform, KINANI connects Mozambican and African artists with international programmers, professionals, institutions and networks, contributing to the visibility and mobility of artistic practices from the continent. Its programme includes performances, residencies, workshops, discussions, professional encounters and the sharing of creative processes, building bridges between different territories, contexts and artistic scenes across Maputo and the African continent. Beyond presenting artistic work, KINANI invests in training, experimentation, exchange and long term relationships between artists and institutions. It seeks to affirm Maputo as a place for contemporary artistic creation and critical thinking, fostering South South and international dialogue while contributing to a sustainable performing arts ecosystem in Mozambique and across Africa.

Artistic Director｜Quito Tembe (Mozambique)

Quito Abrão Tembe is a Mozambican curator, artistic director, cultural producer and educator working across contemporary performing arts. He is the founder and artistic director of KINANI – International Platform for Contemporary Dance, one of Africa's leading biennials for dance, recognised for fostering artistic creation, professional exchange and international collaboration.

Tembe is artistic committee of Danse Em Afrique, associate curator of  Wiener Festwochen and the Biennale de Lyon - FORUM, and serves as Curator of MITsp – Mostra Internacional de Teatro de São Paulo (Brazil). His curatorial practice is rooted in strengthening artistic networks across the Global South while creating meaningful dialogue between Africa, Europe and Latin America.

Internationally recognised for his commitment to cultural cooperation, he has served as a jury member, advisor and speaker for numerous international programmes and institutions. Awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government, his work advocates for equitable cultural exchange, contemporary African perspectives and sustainable international partnerships in the performing arts.

Taipei Performing Arts Center (Taiwan)

The Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is an urban cultural theater in Taipei, offering audiences opportunities to explore and experience the arts in a contemporary theatrical setting. With a commitment to innovation and diverse forms of artistic expression, TPAC seeks to spark curiosity and open up new possibilities for engaging with the performing arts, bringing performances and artistic experiences to unexpected places.

The Center’s distinctive elevated architecture resembles a floating planet above the city. Its sleek, geometric lines create a striking and imaginative presence, where the familiar and the surreal converge. The surrounding streets and everyday urban life become part of a captivating performance that unfolds around the clock.

TPAC presents a wide range of artistic and audience engagement programs, including TPAC Select, the Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, Taipei Arts Festival, and Taipei Fringe Festival. It also facilitates international artistic exchanges and provides a platform for the development, presentation, and international promotion of contemporary performing arts.

Head of Production Department｜Charlene Lin (Taiwan)

Charlene Lin is Manager of the Department of Production and Marketing at Taipei Performing Arts Center, also a music critic and radio host. In her professional career, she at first served as Senior Reporter for the Culture Division in China Times. She is the author of Carpe Diem: A Comprehensive Interpretation of Music Ecology, as well as co-author on several books, including The Complete Guide: 40 Years of Taiwan Contemporary Theatre.

National Theater & Concert Hall (Taiwan)

National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) is one of Taiwan’s leading performing arts institutions and an important platform connecting Taiwan with the international arts community. Since its establishment in 1987, NTCH has presented diverse artistic forms and contemporary works from Taiwan and around the world, fostering dialogue across cultures and creative perspectives through program development, artistic exchange, and international collaboration. Alongside bringing international artists and works to Taiwan, NTCH supports Taiwanese artists in developing their practices and international connections. It also seeks to strengthen the relationship between the arts, society, cities, and diverse communities, creating more open and inclusive opportunities for people to encounter and engage with the arts. Through longterm collaboration and exchange, NTCH brings the world to Taiwan while sharing Taiwan’s creative voices and perspectives with the world.

Director of Programming & International Development Department｜Vera Lai (Taiwan)

Vera Lai is Director of Programming and International Development at Taiwan’s National Theater & Concert Hall (NTCH). With over 20 years of experience in the performing arts, she works across artistic programming, strategic planning, and international partnerships. Through programming and partnership-building, Vera is committed to building long-term relationships with artists and supporting their creative journeys. She is also interested in connecting artists and audiences across cultures and creating meaningful dialogue and exchange between different cultural contexts.

National Taichung Theater (Taiwan)

The National Taichung Theater (NTT) is a national performing arts venue in central Taiwan with three theaters. Each year, NTT presents three signature series that reflects its diverse artistic vision: Arts NOVA, which emphasizes cross-disciplinary creation, innovative forms of audience engagement, and the use of new media and technology; Summer Fun Time, which brings together the programs for all ages and a rich lineup of musical productions; and Fall for Great Souls, which revisits classics and the works of masters through new interpretations and contemporary perspectives.

NTT is also committed to cultivation of new talent through a range of development initiatives, such as Musical Orchard: Research & Exchange and the LAB X Arts Interdisciplinary Platform. By creating opportunities for learning, experimentation, collaboration, and exchange, NTT supports artistic development and contributes to a vibrant art ecology in central Taiwan.

In recent years, NTT has continued to enhance its operations through green approach and smart facilities, working toward its vision of sustainability and a Green Theater that embraces art, people, and the environment.

Programming Associate of Programming & Planning Department｜Huang Lin-Hui (Taiwan)

Lin-Hui HUANG (she/her) is a programmer, coordinator and executive producer currently working in the Programming & Planning Department of the National Taichung Theater (NTT). With a broad interest in theatre, physical theatre, interdisciplinary art, and immersive and technology-based performance, she

focuses on programming, production coordination, project facilitation and international exchange, while continuing to broaden her professional practices in the performing arts field.  Her programming and production credits at NTT include A Conversation with the Sun (VR) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and La Réunification des deux Corées by Compagnie Louis Brouillard / Joël Pommerat.

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Taiwan)

Located in Kaohsiung, the largest city in southern Taiwan, the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) is one of the three venues under the umbrella of  National Performing Arts Center (NPAC) supervised by the Ministry of Culture. Comprising four distinct performance halls—the Opera House, Concert Hall, Playhouse, and Recital Hall—along with an outdoor theater, Weiwuying is designed to accommodate a wide array of artistic disciplines. Since its grand opening on October 13, 2018, it has become a vibrant cultural hub in Taiwan.

Guided by the motto "Center for the Arts, Arts for People," Weiwuying celebrates diverse and dynamic programming that bridges local and international talent. In addition to presenting seasonal programs, Weiwuying also hosts a variety of signature festivals and professional platforms, including the Taiwan Dance Platform, Weiwuying Circus Platform, Weiwuying International Music Festival, Weiwuying Organ Festival, Jazz at Weiwuying, and the Weiwuying Children's Festival.

Director of Artistic Planning｜Joanna Wang (Taiwan)

Appointed in 2023 as the Director of Artistic Planning at National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) in Taiwan, the world’s largest single-roof arts venue and home to Asia’s largest pipe organ, Joanna leads a department encompassing Music Planning, Theater and Opera, Dance and Circus, and Artistic Services.

A seasoned arts manager with thirty years of professional experience, Joanna is a graduate of Columbia University in New York City with a Master of Arts Management degree. Prior to joining Weiwuying, she served as Director of International Programs at Cloud Gate Culture and Arts Foundation. Working closely with founder LIN Hwai-min - the internationally renowned choreographer and Artistic Director CHENG Tsung-lung, she spent over two decades successfully bringing Cloud Gate worldwide. Joanna’s extensive career also includes impactful roles with Han-Tang Yuefu Music and Dance Ensemble, Contemporary Legend Theatre, Tai Gu Tales Dance Theatre, and New York City’s Queens Symphony Orchestra.

2026 Tainan Arts Festival (Taiwan)

The 2026 Tainan Arts Festival is presented under the curatorial theme “Suí-ooh! Arts Across the City, Life Aglow.” Through diverse artistic programming, site-responsive projects, and international exchange, the festival continues to develop a distinctive city-based arts festival that connects Tainan’s cultural identity with a global perspective.

Bringing together emerging Taiwanese artists, international co-creation projects, and a wide spectrum of artistic practices—including theatre, dance, family programmes, traditional performing arts, exhibitions, and participatory city interventions—the festival is structured around five curatorial strands: Made in Taiwan, International Connections, City Perspectives, Education & Co-Creation, and Arts Across the City. Co-curated by eight Tainan-based artists, the festival encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and meaningful engagement with the city, fostering dialogue across generations, cultures, and communities while bringing art into everyday life.

Curator｜Wen Huei-Wen (Taiwan)

Huei-wen Wen, who holds an MBA from California State University, has been a leading force in advancing arts administration and body-based education in Taiwan. She joined Cloud Gate in 1983 and later served as Administrative Director. Upon the establishment of Cloud Gate Dance School in 1998, Wen led the institution for more than two decades as CEO, overseeing its strategic growth and pioneering the “LifePulse” teaching system in collaboration with experts across dance, music, theatre, and early childhood development, and holistic well-being. Her work is grounded in a core belief: what people have learned and experienced through body cannot be taken away.

Wen currently serves as Chairperson of Cloud Gate Dance School and sits on the board of the Cloud Gate Cultural and Arts Foundation. She also contributes to public education and community arts as a governance committee member of Da Cheng Art Experimental Primary School, co-founder of Art Together, founder of Think School, and supervisor of Performing Arts Alliance.

Taoyuan Iron Rose Festival (Taiwan)

Since its inception in 2012, the Iron Rose Festival has grown from a local theater initiative into a vibrant,citywide celebration of the arts.

Launched by the Taoyuan Arts Center, the festival began as a modest drama week titled “Iron Rose Theater,” gradually evolving into a major annual event that blends local creativity, professional curation, and international dialogue.

The name “Iron Rose” comes from the aerial view of the Arts Center’s building , which resembles a blooming rose—symbolizing cultural vitality blossoming in an industrial city.

Today, the Iron Rose Festival spans theater, dance, installation, podcasts, outdoor performances, and digital

experiences. It brings art into public libraries, streets, parks, and train stations—transforming everyday places into spaces for reflection and

connection. Audiences are invited not just to attend, but to imagine, participate, and see their city through new artistic lenses.

Curator｜Yao Lee-Chun (Taiwan)

Yao is a theatre director, producer as well as film researcher and curator. Yao has been the Director of Body Phase Studio and Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre since 2007-2008. Over the past ten years, he has produced / curated several theatre events including Taiwan International Performance Art Festival (TIPAF) and Sixth Sense in Performance Arts Festival, the only international performing arts festival for/of the disabled in Taiwan. Since 2009, he has hosted a workshop project on physical theater in cooperation with various artists and visually impaired performers. Besides, he is a member of Asia Meets Asia collaboration project and co-founder of the Experimental Media Art Festival in Taiwan.

C-LAB (Taiwan)

Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) was initiated in 2018, to the aim of becoming the leading site of contemporary culture in Taiwan, with “innovation” as its core belief and directive. Through programs such as artistic cultural innovation experimentation, exhibitions, performances, screening events, cross-domain co-creation, international cultural exchange, educational promotion, and community service, as well as the establishment of innovative experimentation, new art and culture co-habitats, urban outdoor green space, and other multi-purpose facilities, C-LAB is building on a vision for continued socio-cultural experimentation and practice.

Contemporary Art Platform Curator｜Cynthia Wang (Taiwan)

Cynthia Wang currently serves as the curator of Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (CLAB), where she participates in site specific performances, arts and technology projects. Formerly a Senior Program Manager of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, she managed the Taipei Arts Festival, Taipei Children's Arts Festival and Taipei Fringe Festival from 2008 to 2017. Cynthia also worked in an Off-Broadway theater company in New York, and has rich experience in Taiwan and international productions.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan)

Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) was founded in 1983, as Taiwan’s first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, and the official art museum of the capital city. The mission of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is to promote the preservation, research, development and popularization of Taiwanese modern and contemporary art; to keep abreast of global trends and establish a variety of channels for exchange; to raise the general public’s understanding of and participation in modern art; to help Taiwanese modern and contemporary art to thrive; and to cultivate fuller artistic attainment in the people, in the hope of forming a contemporary society with aesthetic sense and cultural perception.

Curator｜Feng Hsin (Taiwan)

In recent years, FENG Hsin’s research has focused on the development of sound art, new media art, and contemporary cultural and artistic practices in Taiwan, as well as how changes in media technologies shape public behavior and perception. Her curatorial practice spans online and physical platforms, ranging from outdoor art festivals and white-cube exhibitions to publishing and editorial projects. 

She worked as the project manager of Lacking Sound Festival from 2011 to 2013 and as the curator of On Site Artfest in 2013. She was also a co-author and co-editor of Contemporary Art Curating in Taiwan (2015). Her recent curatorial projects include Material Extensions (2026); the fourth season of An Open Ending: TFAM Screening Project (2025), featuring the two curatorial sections Hybrid Moving Images and Tuned In & Turn On; Everyday Performing (2024); and Plugged in the Ruins (2022). In 2023, she co-curated Romantic Route 3 Art Festival: From Nowhere to Now Here –– About the Multi-progression of Roads.