Screening & conversation “Dispatches from the Region” at DACC 2026

Screening: Dispatches from the Region

Curated by Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film (Singapore), Dispatches from the Region offers a glimpse into the issues and concerns shaping the work of Southeast Asian artists, alongside their approaches to photographic practice in a contemporary context. Featuring recent projects by five recipients of the Objectifs Documentary Award, the screening offers insight into the evolving landscape and diverse concerns of contemporary photography across Southeast Asia.

Conversation: Contemporary Photographic Practices in Southeast Asia

Taking Dispatches from the Region as its starting point, this conversation with Chelsea Chua and Woong Soak Teng from Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film (Singapore) explores contemporary photographic practices across Southeast Asia. The discussion will consider the interests, subjects, and approaches shaping artists’ work today, alongside the distinct characteristics and differences between photographic ecosystems in individual countries.

Drawing on the experience of an organisation with a longstanding presence in the region’s photography scene, the speakers will examine the conditions that enable photographers to sustain and develop their practices over time. Topics will include funding, mentorship and critical feedback, exhibition and publishing opportunities, the development of long-term projects, and the importance of building professional networks across the region.

The conversation will also introduce opportunities for photographers, including awards, mentorship programmes, and open calls organised by Objectifs and other photography organisations across Southeast Asia. Participants will gain insights into how to prepare, develop, and present their projects to programmes and organisations within the region.

About the guest speakers

1. Chelsea Chua

Chelsea Chua is a curator and arts programmer who is interested in our relationship with images and image-making. In her previous role as Programme Director at Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film, she worked with artists, photographers, curators, filmmakers and other cultural entities across Southeast Asia to develop projects such as exhibitions, screening programmes, workshops and mentorships. Her recent engagements with the region include being a mentor for the South Asia Incubator, Photo Kathmandu (2025), and co-curating the Jakarta International Photography Festival (2025 and 2026). She is the Artistic Director of the Singapore Documentary Festival, which is organised by Objectifs.

2. Woong Soak Teng

Woong Soak Teng (b. 1994, Singapore) practices in the intersections of art-making, arts programming and producing. Working across image, assemblage and the photobook, her personal projects examine human tendencies to control nature. As Programme Head for Photography and Visual Arts at Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film, Soak takes care of the centre’s visual arts initiatives. Previously, she managed special projects at STPI and spent six years as an independent producer across major platforms, including S.E.A. Focus, Singapore International Photography Festival, and Singapore Art Week.

About the moderator

Mai Nguyên Anh

Mai Nguyen Anh is a Vietnamese visual artist whose practice combines documentary photography with subjective interpretation to explore personal narratives and social paradoxes. He began his career as a photojournalist, working for AFP in the Middle East and VnExpress from 2012 to 2015, and received a scholarship from the International Center of Photography in New York in 2015. His work has been published in Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The Guardian. In 2016, he co-founded Matca, a community-based photography project in Vietnam. In 2018, he received the Open Category award at the Objectifs Documentary Photography Award in Singapore. Since 2021, he has collaborated with PhotoHanoi as a curator.

About Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film

Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film (Singapore) is a non-profit arts organisation founded in 2003, working across the fields of photography and film. Through exhibitions, screenings, educational programmes, artist residencies and mentorship initiatives, Objectifs has become an important platform for supporting and advancing contemporary image-making practices in Southeast Asia. Among its key initiatives is the Objectifs Documentary Award (2019–2026), which supports long-term documentary photography projects and has helped bring new voices from Southeast Asian artists to wider audiences.