Since its establishment in April 2010, the Institute of Southeast Asian Arts (ISEAA) has facilitated in-curricula assimilation of Southeast Asian arts with contemporary arts training at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). The study and research of Southeast Asian arts has positively influenced the multidisciplinary nature of art studies here at NAFA, accumulating a growing resource of ideas and innovations that include outcomes from 3D Design, Design & Media, Fine Art, Arts Management, Fashion, Theatre, Dance, and Music.

ISEAA continues to contextualise practice-based and practice-led learning for NAFA’s students and faculty, whose participation and outputs have critically expanded the academic investigations of conventional disciplines into the realm of Southeast Asian (SEA) art. Through a dynamic mix of masterclasses, workshops, artists-in-resident programmes as well as performance and exhibitions, NAFA’s creative courage is greatly nurtured and has grown.

To date, ISEAA has evolved a network of external partners to represent the spectrum of visual and performing arts in Singapore and the region. With ongoing efforts to enhance the SEA dimension in faculty research, student life, as part of the teaching and learning of the arts at NAFA, ISEAA adopts the role as catalyst and motivator to bring the best of ideas and innovations articulating NAFA’s SEA dimension to a world stage. Apart from the annual SEA Arts Forum held at NAFA, ISEAA will gather exciting new opportunities, avenues and platforms for NAFA’s faculty, students and network affiliates to showcase their research and output featuring SEA content unique to our artistic spectrum in visual and performing arts.