Held alongside the 12th Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM12), the Festival presented an impressive programme with 18 events held over 13 days at the Centre for Fine Arts-Brussels (BOZAR). Featuring 15 dance, music and film events and 3 visual arts exhibitions, the various events at the Festival attracted over 2,100 audiences, while the exhibitions were visited by over 120,000 people.
The highlights of the Festival included brilliant concerts by baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar (Mongolia), organist Svetlana Berezhnaya (Russia), young vocalist Katchry Jewel Golbin (Philippines), innovative depiction of the classic novel ‘El Quixote’ in traditional Indian theatre form Kathakali by Margi Kathakali (India), stunning classical dance interpretation in contemporary form in ‘I am a Demon’ by Pichet Klunchun (Thailand), voices of young millennials brought to the forefront of global discussions in ‘Meet the Millennials’ by Lucas de Man (Belgium-Netherlands) and stimulating exchange between young and established architects at the forum.
This vibrant showcase platform brought together artists from 14 countries, which was supported by the European Union (EU) and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) along with the embassies of India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Spain, the Chinese Mission to the EU, the Russian Federation’s Mission to the EU and the Korean Cultural Centre in Brussels.
View the video for highlights of the festival: ASEM Cultural Festival-Closing Highlights