[Talk ] Charting Alternative Paths: How Far Would You Go for Art?

DETAILS

Title: Charting Alternative Paths: How Far Would You Go for Art?

Date: Tuesday, 2 September 2025

Time: 8.00 – 9.30pm

Venue: Conference Hall, Penang Institute

Speaker: Vanini Belarmino

Moderator & Discussant: Lee Khai

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EVENT ABSTRACT

Curator and creative producer Vanini Belarmino reflects on her journey of charting alternative paths within the field of contemporary art and performance. Framing the question ’How Far Would You Go for Art?’ as both personal challenge and professional philosophy, she shares how navigating between independent work and institutional roles across Asia, Europe and the Middle East has shaped her curatorial practice.

From presenting artistic interventions in mountains, seascapes and urban landmarks to transforming public spaces into stages for encounter, Vanini’s work interrogates where and how art can be experienced. She discusses the necessity – and difficulty – of forging one’s path: operating outside conventional structures, negotiating between cultures, and embracing risk as an inherent part of curating live experiences.

This talk offers insights from over thirty years of practice, including the development of cross-disciplinary collaborations, building international networks, and working within and beyond established institutions. Using her curatorial projects as case studies, Vanini will reflect on the importance of adaptability, resourcefulness and intuition in navigating the complexities of contemporary art-making today.

Ultimately, ‘Charting Alternative Paths’ serves as both a provocation and an invitation: to reconsider definitions of success, to question existing frameworks and to examine – alongside artists, curators and cultural workers – how far we are willing to go for art.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Vanini Belarmino is a curator, producer and writer who works at the intersection of contemporary art and performance, focusing on interdisciplinary collaborations and site-responsive interventions. She is the founder of Belarmino & Partners and has led projects across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Her landmark project, In Situ: Performance as Exhibition (2024), activated landscapes and urban sites in Singapore and the Philippines. As Assistant Director (Programmes) at the National Gallery Singapore, she commissioned over 60 site-specific, participatory and immersive works and over 800 public programmes. She curated three editions of the Gallery Children’s

Biennale (2017, 2019, 2021), and the Children’s Festival: Small Big Dreamers (2018), which focused on the reinterpretation of the life and works of Singaporean artist Lee Wen, and led the special commission with artists David Medalla, Ho Tzu Nyen, Lee Mingwei, Mark Justiniani, Pinaree Sanpitak and Sissel Tolaas. She co-curated Afterlude-Prelude, Responses to Nam June Paik (2021) with SFMoMA. A fellow of the Asian Cultural Council (2009, 2014) and the International Society for Performing Arts (2009, 2011), her essays have been published by Routledge, Roulette Russe and Independent Curators International (ICI).

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ABOUT MODERATOR

Lee Khai is a prominent lawyer and passionate advocate for the arts in Penang. As Managing Partner of Ong and Manecksha, he brings decades of legal expertise to his roles in the cultural sector. He currently serves as Chairman of the Penang State Art Gallery and as an advisor to the Penang Art District, where his thoughtful leadership has been instrumental in revitalising the Penang Annual Show and championing initiatives such as Spotlight, a national competition that supports and showcases young Malaysian artists.

A committed art collector, Lee Khai is known for having one of Penang’s most extensive private collections, featuring works by both renowned and emerging Malaysian talents. Among his significant contributions is his role in securing the acquisition of 12,000 sketches by the late master Tan Choon Ghee—works now part of the Penang State Art Gallery’s permanent collection and featured in the publication A Lifetime of Drawing. Respected for his principled leadership and deep knowledge of both law and the arts, Lee Khai plays a key role in strengthening the governance and sustainability of creative institutions across Malaysia

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