Asep Topan (b. 1989) is an independent art curator, lecturer, and PhD candidate in Art History at the University of Sydney, Australia. He participated in the De Appel Curatorial Program in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 2015 to 2016. For over a decade, he has been a lecturer at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, where he teaches Indonesian art history, exhibition-making, and art activism. His curatorial experience includes serving on the curatorial team for the 2015 Jakarta Biennale, followed by a stint as Deputy Director from 2016 to 2018. From 2018 to 2021, he worked as the Head of the Curatorial and Collection department at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN). He was part of the curatorial team for two editions of the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest) – ‘Revival’ in 2022 and ‘Generation’ in 2023.
Asep Topan is one of the Postgraduate Representatives for The Australasian Network for Asian Art (an4aa), which serves as a platform for sharing research, promoting events and exhibitions, fostering a scholarly community, cultivating interest, and advocating for Asian art and visual culture. He is currently living and working in the Gadigal country (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia.
