"East Coast Vendor" by Georgette Chen of Singapore, oil on canvas, 1965, collection of Singapore Art Museum.

The first Asian Art Museum Directors Forum was convened at China's top art museum late last week as part of the annual festival. A total of 13 Asian countries including Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, South Korea, Japan and China were involved.

"It is the first time the fine arts have been included in this grand gathering for Asian artists. It is a historical moment for artists and art museums in Asia," said Fan Di'an director of the National Museum .

Topics discussed ranged from the construction of art museums with Asian characteristics to collection exchange programmes and co-operation between Asian art museums in boosting fundraising.

But "national identities," "mutual understanding" and "co-operation" were the keywords at the forum, attended by more than 100 art museum directors, art scholars and artists from all across Asia.

"Why is it that countries with such a geographical, historical, ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversity continue to be encapsulated in the single word 'Asia'?" asked Akira Tatehata, director of National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan.

"Despite Edward Said's criticism of Orientalism as little more than a fantasy, which the West created to serve its own needs, why does our own perception of Asia continue to be so inflexible?"

One reason may be that Asia was perceived as being the counter-concept of the West, Tatehata explained.

In his view, diversity should be considered "the foundation of Asia." The diversity between Asian nations should not be seen as divisive, but rather as a positive incentive to engage in communication and better understand each other's differences, he concluded.

"Culture plays a central role in shaping the national identity. This is especially true throughout Asia, which is home to rich and diverse cultural traditions, world heritage sites and outstanding artistic achievements," pointed out Khun Samen, director of the National Museum of Cambodia.

Museums, as custodians and promoters of cultural property, could be effective tools in developing intercultural understanding and education, he explained.

How to create art museums that exhibited a vast scope and large quantity of art from across the region was a new and significant challenge facing art museums in Asia, he observed.

Many attendants agreed that art museums in Asia, constantly troubled by lack of funds and enough exhibition spaces, could share exhibitions, and develop joint appeals to international funding bodies in an effort to maximize potential benefits and possibilities for gaining funds.

Editor: Lency