Dear Kakilang community,

This is Liang-Jung, and I have the pleasure of writing this season's statement on behalf of Kakilang for the second half of 2026. It's been nine months since I joined Kakilang as Associate Artistic Director (Visual Arts), where my work spans everything from fundraising to programme development to artist support. It's been a genuinely meaningful stretch — with a steep learning curve to match. I want to thank my colleagues at Kakilang for investing in me, and for their immense patience along the way.

One of my first tasks at Kakilang was redesigning the website, which meant spending three months sifting through nineteen years of archive material to make as many of our projects visible as possible online. In doing so, I found myself deeply impressed by how an artist-led grassroots collective managed to evolve into the National Portfolio Organisation it is today. And with that milestone in mind — we're now gearing up for our 20th anniversary next year, in 2027. Watch this space!

Organisation, as the name suggests, is organised. As a fairly unorganised independent artist myself, becoming part of one has brought up a lot of mixed feelings. It's made me newly aware of the privilege — and responsibility — of public funding, and the urgency of putting that money to good use.

The biggest challenge for me has been finding the overlap between my own practice's interests and the public's. I've been keen to work out how art can be as sharp and as inclusive as possible — what it can offer audiences that is both healing and provoking at the same time.

The most persistent question underneath all of this: what does art mean in today's climate? All of these big questions eventually distilled into one small, experimental first step — a new commissioning programme called zero material, launched with an open call. It invites ESEA artists to rethink their practice in more resourceful ways. If you know any artists who might be interested, please send the open call their way — or if you're one yourself, apply!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,

Liang-Jung Chen

Associate Artistic Director

Kakilang