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Contemporary art in Japan and Australia.

2-5 pm, Sunday 15 June 2008
Centenary Auditorium, Lower Level 1,
Art Gallery of NSW.

Download forum flyer [pdf, 352kb, 1 page]

Eight leading curators and artists from Japan and Australia spoke on key issues for contemporary art in and between the two countries, and the region: joint projects, biennales, art museums and the role of artists.

Speakers from Japan were Fumihiko Sumitomo, curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Hisako Hara, leading critic, curator and academic from Osaka, Taro Amano, Chief Curator, Yokohama Museum of Art and Jin Kurashige, participating artist in the Sydney Biennale. They were matched by Reuben Keehan, curator, Artspace (and curator of Between Places, opening at Tokyo Wonder Site on 13 September), Suhanya Raffel, Head of Asian, Pacific and International Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Jackie Menzies, Head Curator, Asian Art, Art Gallery of NSW and Shaun Gladwell, who also participated in the Sydney Biennale, and one of the 2 Australians in the last Yokohama Biennale.

The topics were joint projects, biennales, art museums and the role of artists, all seen as key issues for both countries. Comments on this forum are included in the text below.  The forum venue was full for the event.

The Art Gallery of NSW was Asialink’s partner, providing publicity, the venue, staff and arranging catering and other help for the afternoon. The Biennale of Sydney organized for Jin Kurashige to be in Sydney, co-sponsoring his trip with Asialink. Australia Japan Foundation board member Catherine Harris thanked the speakers and spoke about the AJF’s role at the end. Laura McLeod represented the Australia Council. 

Public forum, Art Gallery of NSW

Organised by Asialink, in association with the Art Gallery of NSW and the Biennale of Sydney, supported by the Australia Japan Foundation, as well as by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Yokohama Museum of Art, the Australia Council and Arts NSW.

Australia Japan Visual Arts Forum, Sydney, 16-17 June 2008 

Held at Australia Council for the Arts

Thirty leading Japanese and Australian visual arts people, mainly working in museums and galleries focused on contemporary art were invited to a special forum to discuss current issues of shared relevance for Australia and Japanese visual arts contemporary practice.

It was envisaged as an open discussion between Japanese and Australian visual arts curators, artists, administrators, writers and thinkers on issues of relevance now and in the future for visual arts practice, especially as it relates to Australia-Japan and regional focuses, but also cross culturally/internationally generally.

The main issues suggested prior to the forum were:

1. issues for artists in Australia and Japan
2. issues for visual arts organizations/institutions in both countries
3. collaboration between Australia and Japan in the visual arts
4. the global position for Australia and Japan in the visual arts – considering the power of US/Europe/China
5. regional leadership: rest of Asia Pacific.

Each of these issues was presented with each delegate giving a short statement, isolating up to 3 key issues on the situation now, and up to 3 key issues or strategies on the future, or ways forward.

Recommendations [pdf, 136kb, 4 pages]

Supported by the Australia Japan Foundation, the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts NSW, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Biennale of Sydney, the Japan Foundation Tokyo, the Japan Foundation Sydney, the Japanese Consulate-General, Sydney, Queensland Art Gallery, the National Museum of Australia, Monash University Museum of Art, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Asialink.

List of delegates:

Taro Amano, Chief Curator, Yokohama Museum of Art
Conrad Bodman, Head of Exhibitions, Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Alison Carroll, Director, Arts, Asialink, University of Melbourne
Bec Dean, Associate Director, Performance Space at CarriageWorks
Max Delany, Director, Monash University Museum of Art | MUMA
Alasdair Foster, Director, Australian Centre for Photograph
Osamu Fukunaga, Deputy Director, The National Art Center, Tokyo
David Haines, Artist
Hisako Hara, Professor, Osaka Electro-Communication University
Catherine Harris AO PSM (NSW), Board member, Australia Japan Foundation
Inter changing with : John Bowdler, Board Member, Australia Japan Foundation.
Kathryn Hunyor, Senior Associate, Object: Australian Centre for Craft and Design
Shihoko Iida, Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
Yusaku Imamura, Director, Tokyo Wonder Site
Reuben Keehan, Curator, Artspace
Rachel Kent, Senior Curator, MCA | Museum of Contemporary Art
John Kirkman, Chief Executive Officer, Penrith Performing & Visual Arts
Masafumi Konomi, Arts & Culture Department, The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Jin Kurashige, Artist
Akira Nakayama, Managing Director, Ishibashi Foundation
Jackie Menzies, OAM Head Curator of Asian Art, Art Gallery of NSW
Margo Neale, Adjunct Professor, Principal Advisor to the Director and Senior Curator (Indigenous), National Museum of Australia
Tetsuya Ozaki, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, ART iT
Suhanya Raffel, Head, Asian & Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery
Junichi Shioda, Deputy Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Museum of Art
Fumihiko Sumitomo, Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT)
Akira Tatehata, Director, National Museum of Art, Osaka
Hitomi Toku, Cultural Officer, Australian Embassy, Tokyo
Anna Waldmann, Director, Visual Arts, The Australia Council for the Arts

Observers:

Mrs Tomoko Nakayama, Ishibashi Foundation
Ms Chiharu Takemoto, Director, Japan Foundation, Sydney

Some comments from delegates and audience members of the two forums, sent to Asialink:

The Trace Elements exhibition is one of the achievements from the A-J Visual Art Forum, and I look forward to seeing what we could generate from the intensive discussion in the 2nd Forum last week. Very best wishes,
Shihoko IIDA
Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, email

I was really impressed that you were a perfect (and patient) moderator.  To be honest I had not expected a lot because of the number of the participants. I will write something about the fruitful discussion in REALTOKYO web site. Thank you very much for all you have done.
I wish to see you again in the near future, hopefully in Yokohama or the other biennale/triennale venues. 
Tetsuya Ozaki
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, ART iT, email

It was a very good forum, and a very good discussion.  I was very pleased to take part.
Junichi Shioda,
Deputy Director, Teien Museum of Art, Conversation, Sydney

I would like to thank you again for your sincere and hardworking organization of the Forum.  Especially for me as a newcomer to Australia it was really an exciting occasion to be exposed with the active exchange of people in the field of arts and culture both in Australia and in Japan.
Chiharu Takemoto
Director, Japan Foundation, Sydney, email

Thank you very much for your hospitality last time. I could have valuable
experience at the forum. I would like to organize something as next step in
future. I will keep touch with you.
Taro Amano
Chief Curator, Yokohama Museum of Art, email

It was really nice being in Sydney with lots of discussions.
Fumihiko Sumitomo
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, email

Thank you very much for a great forum.  I was very glad to be there, though sorry not to contribute more. Mr Ozaki and Mr Sumitomi have a lot to offer in the future I am sure. 
Akira Nakayama,
Ishibashi Foundation, Tokyo, Telephone call 26 June 2008

Congratulations on the whole Hello Tokyo! forum. It all went very well as far as I could see, and was very well organised.  Everyone got to know one another better, and the outcome was excellent. Good luck with realising some of those ideas.
Jackie Menzies
Head Curator of Asian Art, Art Gallery of NSW, email

Left to Right: Hitomi Toku, Fumihiko Sumitomo, Junichi Shioda, Suhanra Raffel, Tetsuya Ozaki, Margo Neale, Akira Nakayama; Foreground: Max Delany, Alasdair Foster, Osamu Fukunaga.

Thank you so much for the meeting. It was really fantastic. I really enjoyed it and found it very informative and very inspirational. It was great to meet all those wonderful people.

John Kirkman
CEO, Penrith visual and performing arts, Telephone message 25 June 2008.

Congratulations on a great forum at the AGNSW the weekend before last. The range of speakers was excellent and they provided a great cross section of the types of visual arts events happening in Japan.
Louise Tegart
Senior Curator, University Art Gallery, University of Sydney, email

Congratulations it was a great forum
Margo Neale
National Museum of Australia, email

I wanted to write and extend thanks for the Hello Tokyo seminar that was held at the Art Gallery NSW last Sunday. I really enjoyed hearing the speakers’ presentations, and liked that the format of the day allowed for presentations from artists as well as curators and directors.
Zoe Johnson
Programs and Services Officer, Museums & Galleries NSW, email

Congrats on a great forum.
Kathryn Hunyor
Object, email

Breakout group devising the Utopia project, clockwise from left: Shihoko Iida, Max Delany, David Haines, Bec Dean, Taro Amano, Akira Tatehata, Yusaku Imamura, Hisako Hara; Foreground: Akira Nakayama