Past Issues 2011
EDITORIAL : 20 YEARS OF TAASA Josefa Green, Editor As you can see, this is a very special issue of the TAASA Review, to celebrate TAASA’s 20th anniversary. Given the central place of the TAASA Review over TAASA’s 20 year life, it seemed fitting to do something special, an idea enthusiastically supported by the Publications Committee. We felt that this was an opportunity for us to step back, not only to review TAASA’s past activities, but, more broadly, to assess developments in the Asian arts in Australia over the last 20 years to the present. This conception has driven the approach taken in this issue. It is divided into 3 main sections. TAASA’s Legacy aims to honour the many people who have been involved with TAASA over time – committee members, service providers, supportive art institutions and members. In State of the Arts, we have commissioned a number of experts to assess developments in the Asian arts field, including performing arts, and have widened our reach beyond Australia to cover interesting developments elsewhere. Finally, in Repository of Riches, we have tried to give a feel for the range of Asian objects which can be found in the collections of our major arts institutions. Our opening article in the TAASA’s Legacy section is by current TAASA President, Gill Green. In outlining TAASA’s history, she takes the opportunity to thank the many people involved in its creation and consolidation. We hope you enjoy the archival photos dug up from some of the very earliest issues of the TAASA Review. The remaining articles in this section offer reminiscences by those who have been closely involved with TAASA over the years: ex-President Jackie Menzies and our first TAASA Review editor, Heleanor Feltham; four members of our very active Sydney based Textile Study Group and finally, the voices of a range of TAASA members who discuss how they became interested in Asian arts and involved with TAASA. We are only too conscious that space has not permitted us to include the many other Asian arts enthusiasts and loyal TAASA supporters that make up our membership. State of the Arts is the central component of this issue. A number of articles focus on key initiatives in the Asian arts field over the last 20 years. Katherine Russell covers some of the main Asian art exhibitions we have enjoyed around Australia, convincingly arguing that, while these have not often achieved ‘blockbuster’ status, they have forged new ground through their innovative designs and experiential approach. One major private sector player in the Australian cultural scene since the early 1980’s has been the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF). Gene Sherman provides a personal account of what inspired her to promote contemporary Asian art with such passion, and outlines the impressive list of exhibitions and related initiatives taken by the then Irving Galleries and now SCAF. Her article also acknowledges some of the other major players in the contemporary Asian arts scene in Australia in the same period. One major initiative mentioned by Gene Sherman is covered more fully by Michael Desmond’s article. This is the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) which was launched in 1993, with great prescience, by the Queensland Art Gallery. Michael Desmond assesses the way in which successive APTs have encouraged interest in the arts and wider culture of Asia, at the same time putting Brisbane on the cultural map. As Michael Desmond points out, the current proliferation of rival biennials in the Asian region has affected the impact of the APTs. This is illustrated by Gina Fairley’s article, which notes that around 25 of the 80 or so international biennales/triennials are now held in Asia. She examines how Asian cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong are competing to offer the ‘hottest’ shows and fairs, and wonders how artistic achievement can be critically assessed given the way in which these events have become ‘so thoroughly massaged and hyped’. We offer three further articles on the current international contemporary arts scene – aimed more at providing a tasting menu than a comprehensive review. Chaitanya Sambrani explains the intention behind a fascinating multi-disciplinary project he co-instigated, which involved a select group of Chinese and Indian artists undertaking journeys to each other’s countries. The visual art component opened in Shanghai in 2010. Darryl Collins provides a very useful overview of current developments in Cambodia, where we are witnessing a mushrooming of private galleries in the capital and elsewhere. Gael Newton surveys current developments in photography in Singapore, beginning with her observations while participating in the inaugural Singapore International Photography Festival in 2008. Two initiatives aimed at encouraging engagement between Australian artists and Asia are also covered in this issue. The Director of Asialink Arts, Lesley Alway, explains the aims of its Residency program and gives tangible examples of how some have benefited from it. Phoebe Scott interviews some of our current arts students, exploring what has motivated them to learn more about Asian art and culture, and how this has affected their work to date. TAASA has tried to maintain a commitment to cover the performing arts, and this is reflected by the remaining articles in this State of the Arts section. Adrienne McKibbins dissects Hindi cinema, arguing that the terms ‘Bollywood’ and ‘globalisation’ are both misleadingly applied to this industry. Jill Sykes offers personal insights into where Asian dance has gone in Australia over the last two decades. And we are delighted that Peter Sculthorpe has contributed a piece which describes the beginnings of his engagement with Asia, its music and ideas. Finally, in our “In Performance” segment, four groups or individuals who currently perform Asian music in Australia are profiled: Adrian McNeil with Bobby Singh; Queensland Conservatorium’s Gamelan Ensemble, the Nefes Ensemble and Riley Lee. So to the last segment of our ‘twice the size’ TAASA Review. Repository of Riches dips into the treasure chest which is the Asian art collections of our public art institutions. We asked the key curators from a selection of institutions to nominate one significant piece from their collection, and to explain why it is significant both as a work of art and in the context of the wider collection. We hope you enjoy the results! As a final comment, this issue represents, like TAASA, a community of interest. It has involved many people generously offering their time and expertise: past and present committee members, expert contributors, TAASA members and above all, members of the Publications Committee who worked hard to produce it. Thanks also to the Powerhouse Museum for its generous sponsorship of this special anniversary issue.
Editorial: Arts of Korea Josefa Green, Editor It has been a great pleasure to dedicate this issue to the arts of Korea, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and South Korea. This has however created an impossible challenge: how to encapsulate the richness of Korea's past and present artistic achievements in one issue of the TAASA Review? Of course, we have not attempted such an unrealistic enterprise. Rather, this issue aims to provide some sense of the range and richness of Korea's cultural heritage and to touch on some of its more contemporary manifestations. In this we are aided by a major exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum (PHM), Spirit of jang-in: Treasures of Korean Metal Craft, which will be launched late October. Drawing on iconic pieces from a number of Korean museums, its focus is on Korean metal craft but its brief is much wider. As PHM curator Min Jung Kim states in her review of this exhibition, the display of both historical and contemporary examples of metal craft offers an introduction to Korean history and culture and deep insight into the spirit of jang-in - the spirit or essence of Korean craftspeople. Several other articles in this issue tease out aspects of Korea's rich metal craft tradition. We are pleased to be able to offer an article by Dr Charlotte Horlyck from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, which summarises some of her recent research on Goryeo period (918-1392 CE) Korean bronze mirrors. Dr Marian Hosking introduces us to the work of Joungmee Do, an Australian-Korean who spectacularly combines traditional techniques with contemporary materials and designs. A striking necklace by another Korean- Australian, held in the PHM, is discussed by Alysha Buss in our regular In the Public Domain feature. Its pared back modern design is belied by the complex traditional processes used in its construction. Jackie Menzies' article on Late Joseon Buddhist art (18th - 20th centuries), demonstrates a different aspect of Korean artistic achievement. Her survey of paintings found in the Tongdosa temple complex located in south Gyeongsang Province, illustrates the shift from the more refined aristocratic style of the Goryeo period to the more colourful and vibrant compositions found in later popular Joseon Buddhist art. Christina Sumner takes us through some of the intricacies of another distinctly Korean traditional craft, namely bojangi - delightful patchwork and embroidered wrapping cloths which are, as she writes, deeply imbued with Korean aesthetic, cultural and social values. Readers may recall the 1998 exhibition at the Powerhouse which displayed some of these beautiful textiles. The growing appreciation of the value of traditional cultural products is mirrored by the listing of extraordinary places of cultural or natural significance by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The Korean villages of Hahoe and Yangdong have been recently placed on the World Heritage List and we are fortunate to be given a sense of their enormous historical significance by Joan Domicelj, a heritage consultant who was involved in the listing process. Along with the surviving buildings originally founded in the 14th century, the wooden masks of Hahoe, used in the Hahoe masked dance-drama (still practiced today and an Important Intangible Cultural Property), are the only masks to be named Korean national treasures. Moving to the contemporary, this issue offers a review of the recent major Australian - Korean art exhibition, Tell Me, Tell Me, from the perspective of Song Mi Sim, a Korean national living in Australia, and a practicing artist and graduate of the National Art School. The exhibition juxtaposed contemporary works with significant historical examples from the 1970's by important artists of both countries. Jointly curated by Glenn Barkley from Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and Kim Inhye from the National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA) in Seoul, the exhibition moves from the National Art School to open at NMOCA in November. Finally, we are very pleased in this special Korean issue to take the opportunity to introduce the newly established Korean Cultural Office (KCO) in Sydney. Its Director, Young-soo Kim, outlines its ambitious program of activity, both current and planned, aimed at promoting mutual understanding between Korea and Australia. KOFFIA - the Korean Film Festival in Australia - now works out of the KCO and will launch an expanded range of Korean films at its festivals in Sydney in August and Melbourne in September. Kieran Tully gives us a preview of what can be enjoyed at these festivals, as well as an entertaining overview of the current state of the Korean film industry. I would particularly like to thank Min Jung Kim and Christina Sumner of the PHM for the expert advice and support they provided for this special Arts of Korea issue.
Editorial - Josefa Green This a truly eclectic issue, with something for everyone.
Contents: 3 Editorial - Josefa Green 4 Ritual music of the Chu kingdom - Liu Yang 7 Masks that maintain the world - Michele Stephen 10 Revealed in the ruins: Buddha images and reliquaries from a Bagan pagoda - Bob Hudson 12 From traditional to modern: The impact of entrepreneurship on Southeast Asian textiles - Gill Green 15 The art of living with the nomads of Mongolia - Gregory Fournier 18 Square cloth for square tables: Altar aprins in Chinese temples in SE Asia - Trevor Vale 20 Exhibition preview: Japan in Sydney -: Arthur Lindsay Sadler, Japan and Australian modernism 1920s – 1930s - Maria (Connie) Tornatore – Loong 22 In the public domain: A Thai Buddhist Banner at the NGA - Melanie Eastburn 24 Inn ovations and Creativity in Ancient Qin: A joint seminar by the Art Gallery of NSW and Sydney University - John Millbank 26 Traveller’s Choice: Museum of Islamic Art, Doha - Marion Macdonald 27 Book Review : Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum – Bangkok University - David Rehfuss 28 At the NGA: Here and There: Contemporary Photomedia Artists in Asia - Gael Newton 29 Recent TAASA activities 29 TAASA Members’ Diary 30 What's on in Australia and overseas: March - May 2011 - Compiled by Tina Burge Editorial A general issue is always so stimulating, allowing the TAASA Review to range over a great variety of topics, many related to current events and exhibitions. Asian arts enthusiasts in Sydney have been particularly well catered for recently with two major and interrelated Chinese exhibitions at the AGNSW: The First Emperor: China’s entombed warriors and Homage to the Ancestors: Ritual Art from the ChuKingdom. In this issue, Dr Liu Yang of the Art Gallery of NSW focuses on the significance of music in the ritual life of the Chu Kingdom based on musical instruments excavated from Chu Kingdom tombs from the late Western Zhou (c800 BCE) to the Warring States period (c475- 221 BCE). All the instruments he discusses can be currently seen in the latter exhibition. While The First Emperor exhibition itself was covered in the December TR, this issue provides a lively review by Dr John Millbank of the associated 2 day seminar, Innovations and Creativity in Ancient Qin, jointly held by the AGNSW and Sydney University. Another exhibition soon on show at the University Art Gallery, Sydney University will celebrate the legacy of Arthur Lindsay Sadler, Professor of Oriental Studies from 1922 to 1947, in stimulating exchange between Japanese print making traditions and Australian modernist artists. As co-curator Maria (Connie) Tornatore-Loong explains, this show will explore parallel developments between Australian and Japanese modernist prints, juxtaposed with European expressionist prints, bookplates and journals. Gael Newton, Senior Curator of Photography at the NGA gives us a tantalising glimpse of works currently on display in the NGA’s Photography Gallery. A common thread in the diverse images on show in Here and There: Contemporary photomedia artists in Asiais the way in which these artists explore their cultural identities in the context of the current cultural engagement between the Euro-American “west” and Asia. The potential for photography to provide insights more powerful than words is demonstrated in Gregory Fournier’s contribution, based on his two month journey on horseback travelling across Mongolia from the Orkhon valley to the high glaciers of the Altai region. I’m sure you will enjoy some of his spectacular images, recording aspects of present day Mongolian life Textile lovers are offered two treats. Drawing from examples in his own collection, Trevor Vale discusses the colourful and highly symbolic altar aprons generally used to decorate side altar tables in Southeast Asian Chinese temples. Gill Green explores the link between two antique textiles – a cotton batik sarong from central Java and a silk tie dyed textile from Cambodia – which share a remarkably similar pictorial composition featuring early 20th century icons of modernity. Her current research is attempting to establish what the impetus was for such radical change to traditional motifs in each region and what the connection was between Java and Cambodia in relation to this development. Staying in Southeast Asia, another collector shares her passion and expertise with TR readers. Michele Stephen’s article on Balinese masks convinces us that these objects must be seen, not just as aesthetic objects of great workmanship and variety, but also as vehicles for performance art and, above all, as evocations of sacred energies and powers essential at temple festivals and many domestic rituals. We are also privileged to publish Dr Bob Hudson’s article on a horde of Buddha images and reliquaries unearthed from under the Hsutaung-pyi pagoda in Bagan in the 1975 earthquake. Archaeologists only later realized that some of these relics dated to the 13th century when the pagoda was originally consecrated. Bob Hudson was invited to photograph these pieces before they were re-enshrined in the restored stupa, and their publication in this issue provides valuable material for comparison with Bagan finds in other locations. Buddhist ritual art is also the subject of Melanie Eastburn’s article describing a 19th century Thai Buddhist painted banner recently acquired by the NGA. This cotton banner is likely to have been displayed in a Buddhist temple in association with a festiva held in veneration of the 28 Buddhas of the past and Maitreya (the future Buddha). Such events continue to take place in Thailand as well as Cambodia, Burma and Laos. We also offer a review by David Rehfuss on the book Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum - Bangkok University. While unfortunately only available in Bangkok, ceramics enthusiasts will be interested to know of the publication of this profusely illustrated catalogue, which also contains a useful chapter by the late Dr Roxanna Brown. And finally, testimony to the eclectic nature of this issue is a review of the newly opened Museum of Islamic Art, Doha by Marion Macdonald – as famous for its architecture by I.M. Pei as its relatively small but outstanding collection. |
Pat-tala and beaters, Burma, 1875-1925.
Detail of textile (kalaga) Burma 1990-1925
Man’s silver bangle, Akha, Laos, 1900-1994
Detail of ceremonial cloth (pua) Iban, Sarawak c.1945-1965. Gift of Alastair Morrison, 1994 Collection Powerhouse Museum, Sydney |
