How can cross-cultural storytelling expand artistic discourse and challenge dominant narratives? What strategies amplify underrepresented voices and foster new platforms for engagement?
esea contemporary presents Amplified Margins: Cross-Cultural Narratives, a discussion on the role of cross-cultural storytelling in arts writing and criticism. Hosted by Xiaowen Zhu, Director of esea contemporary, the event brings together Vivienne Chow, award-winning journalist and writer, and Chloe Stead, associate editor of frieze, to examine the complexities of making marginalised narratives visible, impactful, and present.
Taking inspiration from Voicing the Archive – a project reimagining erased histories of early Chinese migration through historical research and speculative storytelling by artists including Clare Chun-yu Liu, Hester Yang, Musquiqui Chihying, Lawrence Lek, and Chris Zhongtian Yuan – this conversation explores how artists and writers navigate silences, reclaim agency, and reshape collective memory.
Vivienne Chow, Artnet’s London Correspondent and co-founder of The Asia Pivot newsletter, brings extensive experience in arts journalism and cultural critique. Her work has appeared in the Financial Times, BBC Culture, and Variety. She has taught arts and cultural journalism at universities and founded Cultural Journalism Campus, which has nurtured a new generation of critical voices in arts writing.
Chloe Stead, a Berlin-based editor and critic, has contributed to numerous art magazines and artist monographs. She has led writing workshops in universities throughout Germany and the UK and oversaw the expansion of Frieze New Writers, a free-to-attend programme for emerging critics, into Continental Europe.
The event opens with presentations by Vivienne and Chloe, followed by a moderated discussion on broadening readerships, engaging communities, and developing strategies for visibility. A concluding audience Q&A invites further dialogue.
Amplified Margins: Cross-Cultural Narratives offers an opportunity to engage with two leading voices in arts criticism, reflecting on how cross-cultural narratives shape artistic practice, public discourse, and cultural futures.
Vivienne Chow is an award-winning journalist, writer and a content strategist whose work examines art, cultural ecosystems and identity at the nexus of East and West. Through her reporting and analysis, she aims to break down cultural barriers, uncover untold stories, and foster dialogue among art-world players from diverse backgrounds. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow and an IJP Premium Fellow.
Over more than two decades, she has built an internationally recognised career spanning Asia and Europe, served as Senior Reporter at the South China Morning Post, and London Correspondent at Artnet News, where she co-founded The Asia Pivot newsletter. Her byline has appeared in BBC Culture, Variety, The Art Newspaper, the Financial Times, and the New York Times, among others.
Beyond journalism, she founded the non-profit Cultural Journalism Campus and has taught arts writing and reporting at universities. She was the editor of A New Reality, the monograph of Hong Kong artist Stephen Wong Chun Hei. She also advises cultural organisations on strategy and research, and is a regular speaker and moderator at international art and cultural forums.
Chloe Stead, a Berlin-based editor and critic, has contributed to numerous art magazines and artist monographs. She has led writing workshops in universities throughout Germany and the UK and oversaw the expansion of Frieze New Writers, a free-to-attend programme for emerging critics, into Continental Europe.
%20Limehouse%20Cut%20at%20the%20beginning%20of%20the%2019th%20century.jpg)