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Congratulations to All Finalists
SATA Meetup 2025: A Post-Event Perspective - JeongOk
The intersection of art and technology in Asia reveals a dynamic landscape shaped by varying levels of technological accessibility, infrastructure, and transdisciplinary collaboration. The SATA Meetup, uniting artists and curators from Indonesia, China, Singapore, Mongolia, South Korea, and Hong Kong, showcased diverse regional contexts and approaches to integrating technology into art. Even within countries like Indonesia and Mongolia, urban art practices often embrace technology more readily than traditional local approaches, creating a fascinating gap that fosters unique, locally rooted art practices connected to global technological trends.Participating in the SATA Meetup exceeded my initial expectations. I sought to gain new ideas and artistic practices, explore Hong Kong’s art and technology scene, and reflect on my own work as a media art curator. The program delivered rich insights into how artists incorporate tools like AI, introduced me to Hong Kong’s vibrant art spaces and networks, and provided constructive feedback on my curatorial education research through the Toolkit Workshops. The six Toolkit Workshops, held on April 11–12, 2025, offered profound learning experiences. Wu Ziyang’s “World Building” explored speculative storytelling through digital games, while Jooyoung Oh’s “Remembering Technology, Resistant Images” delved into non-human ontology. Jeong Ok Jeon’s “#Plug In #Curate Out” simulated media art curation, and Ho Rui An’s “Histories of Intelligence” used AI to uncover narratives of intelligence in Asia. Eldwin Pradipta’s “Appthropomorphism” reimagined unused mobile apps creatively, and Bilguun Tuvshinbold’s “Experimental Music Festival” challenged participants to design within financial constraints. These workshops reinforced my belief in artistic research as a valid methodology, particularly after recent updates to our guidelines at Jakarta State University’s Visual Arts Education Department. They also provided practical, adaptable tools for media art practices and deepened my conviction in the research potential of art-making.The workshop-based introduction approach proved highly effective, fostering a collaborative learning environment through small group dynamics, open-ended tasks, and collective problem-solving. Unlike traditional artist talks, this format encouraged active participation and mutual knowledge exchange, making the experience engaging and meaningful. The balance between conceptual and technical dimensions, coupled with the participants’ diverse backgrounds, sparked rich discussions. However, a clearer initial explanation of the workshop format could reduce early confusion, as I and others struggled to understand expectations initially. Despite this, the method’s value became evident, inspiring me to adopt it in my future projects.The SATA Meetup’s vibrant mix of launch events, performances, workshops, art talks, and studio visits highlighted the deep interconnection between art and technology. It underscored their potential as tools for community-building, storytelling, and critical reflection, emphasizing process over product and the power of collaborative inquiry. Inspired by the meetup, I incorporated its Toolkit into a curatorial practice session at Biennale Jatim, titled “Curators in the Digital Age: Contemporary Curatorial Challenges and Innovations,” introducing hands-on concept development to participants. I’m also adapting the Toolkit for a European art-tech festival under the theme of “Unlearning,” encouraging non-Asian participants to rethink curatorial frameworks and address digital inequities through culturally rooted perspectives. My ongoing research continues to explore collaborative curation, alternative curatorial models, and the role of AI and emerging technologies in reshaping curatorial practice.For future SATA Meetups, I recommend allocating more time for informal networking or thematic breakout groups to deepen participant connections. A digital follow-up platform could sustain collaboration post-event. To expand its impact, SATA could introduce satellite programs—smaller, localized meetups, either onsite or online—to maintain relationships, foster cross-regional collaboration, and grow the SATA community as a vital platform linking art, technology, and society. These insights, drawn from my experience, reflect the program’s transformative potential and its role in shaping innovative, interconnected art practices across Asia and beyond.
