For many contributors, it’s been the summer holidays, and we’ve taken a break since the build up to the launch. But now it’s a good time to get working again on n.e.w.s.

We got good feedback about the website platform during ISEA — both in small discussions with the contributors in Singapore (Ingrid, Mustafa, Rich, Renée and myself), as well as during the launch itself, and in small groups again, after the event. It’s important to acknowledge the achievement of putting the website together — of all the contributions and discussions: for many of us, the issue of cultural diversity was recurring topic; Inti, Rich and Yuliya talked about their specific regions or specific projects; Mia and Stephen, the outside and inside of the artworld; Ade, Inti and Stephen, about traffic; Branka and Mia, about web 2.0 and immaterial labour; Ingrid, Thomas, Mustafa and Stephen, about “world art” ... and so on.

It’s been a few weeks since the launch of n.e.w.s. in Singapore at the end of last July, and I’ve been meaning to write a short report to n.e.w.s. contributors and readers about some of the discussions those of us in Singapore had following the launch. But, as it often happens, after the one thing, there are the next several things, and you get very busy, and before you know it, weeks have passed by, and you’re still trying to follow-up ...

Here are a few images from the launch event last Monday. More soon ....

Rich Streitmatter-Tran at the n.e.w.s. launch in Singapore, 28 July

Mustafa Maluka, Rich, Ingrid Commandeur and Renée Ridgway

Lee Weng Choy and Renée

When I met Renée and Sannetje, and they introduced me to n.e.w.s., I was drawn to participate in large part because I saw the website as a potential tool for greatly facilitating collaborative projects which involve regional networks.

I’ve been asked to be the moderator for this first phase of n.e.w.s., and I’d like to offer some reflections on what’s been happening so far on the website.

One project that I’m currently working on is called “Comparative Contemporaries”. It’s a website anthology, a collaboration between the Asia Art Archive, the International Association of Art Critics, Singapore, and The Substation. Five editors — Sue Acret, Patrick Flores, Ho Tzu Nyen, Ly Daravuth and Keiko Sei — each select what they believe are ten significant texts about contemporary visual art from Southeast Asia (I serve as the project manager). These selections, along with the editors’ introductory essays, will be published on the AAA’s website.