EXPERIENCE THE UNFORGETTABLE HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE ASIA-EUROPE CULTURAL FESTIVAL'S 7TH EDITION.
The 7th edition of the Asia-Europe Cultural Festival (AECFest) unfolded in its largest iteration yet, spanning 4 countries from June to October 2025. The Festival featured music, contemporary dance, multidisciplinary performances, and more, bringing together artists and audiences from Asia and Europe to celebrate creativity, diversity and cross-cultural collaboration.
Since its launch in 2018, AECFest has travelled between Asia and Europe with a clear mission: to celebrate artistic partnerships across cultures and disciplines. Over the years, it has evolved from a showcase platform into a space for cultural diplomacy, dialogue and experimentation, transforming collaborations into bold explorations of creativity and human connection.
In 2025, the Festival’s programme unfolded across 4 key events: the Curtain Raiser in Poland, the Main Programme in China, and, for the first time, the Closing Curtain in two countries — Lao PDR and Singapore, ASEF’s home base. 52 artists from 13 countries — China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Viet Nam — presented works celebrating collaboration, exchange, and artistic innovation. Supported by 3 programming partners, 7 government bodies and various arts organisations, AECFest reached over 3,000 audience members across Asia and Europe.
Building on the “festival within a festival” format introduced in 2024, the Main Programme took place in Shanghai in partnership with ACT Shanghai Contemporary Theatre Festival, organised by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre (SDAC). With over 2 decades of experience presenting cutting-edge productions from China and beyond, ACT Festival proved an ideal partner for this year’s curated lineup. Rooted in shared values and commitment to dynamic cross-cultural collaborations, the partnership between ASEF and SDAC exemplifies how cooperation between institutions strengthens the global arts landscape.
Highlights included Jérôme Bel, presented as a performance lecture by Xiao Ke (China), tracing the three-decade career of the revered French choreographer, questioning conventions of identity while drawing on the universal threads of the human experience. In China354, a film screening presented in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute Shanghai on the bustling Anfu Road, Castro’s 1-minute clips filmed over a lunar year across China’s 31 provinces offered reflections on contemporary visual cultures, revealing the subtle rhythms that connect society and self.
Personal and collective memory took centre stage in That’s All Folks!, Aéras and Foe of an Arrow Wound, bringing the past into the present to imagine new futures. Conceptualised by Tian Gebing (China), The Foe of An Arrow Wound explored historical relationships between East and West, drawing inspiration from Giuseppe Castiglione’s Qing dynasty paintings in the East Asian Museum, Berlin. In Aéras, Italian musician and researcher Gabriele Marangoni transformed silk fibres into sound, unlocking harmonies that have quietly interwoven civilisations across China, Italy and Japan. The performance took place at the Asian Civilisations Museum, linking contemporary exploration with a historic cultural institution. That’s All Folks! turned personal memories into a collective journey, as performers from across Asia and Europe navigated non-linear, ephemeral spaces that evoked pure emotion and imagination.
Cultural exchange emerged in multiple forms, notably in Between Lands: Migration as Transformation, a week-long exhibition on cultural mobility and displacement, held at 136 Goethe Lab at the Goethe-Institut Singapore and co-presented with The Substation as part of Gathering Ground 2025. Works such as Phantasma Concha (Home 5) by Nge Lay (Myanmar), a tent installation evoking traditional mosquito nets, highlighted the dilemmas faced by migrants adapting to new environments while negotiating cultural identity and belonging.
Complementing the exhibition, the panel Lost in Transit: Dialogue Session brought curators, artists and cultural professionals together to discuss the shifting perception of migrants in an increasingly globalised world, as well as hybrid identities, emerging artistic languages, shared narratives and new opportunities arising through mobility and cross-cultural interactions.
Building on the Festival’s commitment to pressing contemporary issues, sustainability and climate awareness were central to the 2025 programme. Conceptualised as a multi-sensory experience, Ocean Cage offered audiences in Shanghai an immersive exploration of life in Lamalera, a remote fishing village in Indonesia where traditional fishing and whaling remain central to the human-environment relationship. Through installation, film, dance and live music, the performance prompted reflection on ecological fragility in an increasingly urbanised world.
The AECFest Residency Programme continued to nurture cross-disciplinary creation, supporting 3 residencies spanning diverse artistic disciplines, cultural backgrounds and creative outputs.
Choreographing the Living City, realised in partnership with the Manggha Museum in Krakow, Poland, offered Polish choreographer Karol Tyminski access to the museum’s collection and spaces to advance his research on the interplay between the human body, movement and urban environments. Collaborating with Japanese musician and composer, Michiko Ogawa, the residency culminated in the dynamic yet meditative performance Looking Out and Anchoring Gaze Within the Matter Of, staged as part of the Festival’s official Curtain Raiser.
The programme also enabled the creation of Calligraton, a new production born from a hybrid residency between electronic music duo, SCHNITT (Amelie Duchow and Marco Monfardini), and renowned Japanese calligrapher, Aoi Yamaguchi. Presented during the Closing Curtain in Singapore, the performance offered a striking multi-sensory experience, pairing live sound and calligraphic creation in a dynamic interplay that explored the relationship between space and sound.
Closing the Festival, Over the Bridge shone a spotlight on the women of Laos, highlighting their strength, creativity, and resilience. The event was presented in partnership with the French Institute in Vientiane as well as Mekong Cultural Hub, underscoring the collaborative support that made the closing possible. The evening featured a poetry reading of Strength of Lao Women by Bounma Phonemany, the musical performance Luang Prabang Soul by Xaisongjam Induangchanthy, and the contemporary dance work Phuying by Laos’ first contemporary dance company, Fanglao Dance Company. Each performance blended local narratives with universal themes of empowerment, creating a truly memorable finale.
Many government representatives attended the Festival’s key events, highlighting the importance of first-hand engagement with art and culture. Their presence allows decision-makers to experience creativity directly, fostering understanding and support for cultural initiatives across Asia and Europe.
The 7th edition of the Asia-Europe Cultural Festival closed having once again championed artistic exchange and cross-continental collaboration. As the Festival looks toward its 8th edition, audiences and artists can anticipate another chapter of imagination and dialogue—continuing to inspire, challenge, and strengthen connections between Asia and Europe
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