Heidi Tan (MA, PhD, SOAS University of London) is Lecturer in Curating and Museology at the School of Arts, SOAS. Her experience as a curator of and from Southeast Asia is embedded in her research and teaching, as well as knowledge exchange and publishing projects such as Pratu Journal.  Heidi was responsible for developing Southeast Asian collections and curating a programme of special exhibitions at a time of significant growth in Singapore’s museums. Her curatorial practice was honed over this time at the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Peranakan Museum in Singapore (1996–2014), where as Principal Curator she was responsible for new co-research and special exhibition initiatives with regional partners and local communities. This collaborative turn culminated in the special exhibition Enlightened Ways. The Many Streams of Buddhist Art in Thailand (2012) and informed subsequent doctoral research. Conducted in Myanmar, her fieldwork addressed key issues in the work of Buddhist pagoda museums, specifically local forms of collecting and curating. Her thesis Meritorious Curating and the Renewal of Pagoda Museums will be released online in 2023. A forthcoming publication can also be found here: https://www.godscollections.org/case-studies/the-shwedagon-pagoda-museum-yangon 

As a core member of the Academic Team, Heidi will co-lead with Seng Sonetra on the project in Cambodia (Year 3). Restitution and its curatorial implications, particularly the custodianship and care of important objects in Southeast Asia, has long been an issue yet has only recently started to receive more serious attention. With CO-OP, Heidi aims to facilitate critical thinking, exchange, and agency among contributors. She views this as an important step in the search for nuanced understandings and processes of restitution in the region.