East Asia has gone through dramatic changes over the last two decades, spurred on by phenomenal economic growth. Japan's art scene blithely kept rising as its mighty economy slipped into recession in the 1990s, and South Korea's art and cinema, while badly affected by the economic crisis of 1997, has gone from strength to strength. Chinese art entered the international mainstream as economic reforms begun in the 1980s have turned the People's Republic into an emerging superpower. The ongoing controversy over the political status of Taiwan only seems to have increased the island's desire to become a force at international art festivals.

East Asian artists have become a regular fixture on the international art circuit as more and more major festivals were also set up in the region. This autumn alone, there are six major biennials from Singapore to Busan. Artists have used their new status to question established traditions and Western artistic models as much as social, economic and political conditions.

At this discussion Qiu Zhijie (Shanghai), Yeondoo Jung (Seoul), Yao Jui-Chong (Taipei) and Japanese curator Masafumi Fukagawa (Kawasaki City Museum) give their personal perspectives on one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of contemporary art.