13/02/2009 - 08/03/2009 joint exhibition
JULIA CHIU
KARST
Curated by Julia Johnston
Exploring her Hong Kong Chinese and Dutch-Indonesian heritage with Karst, Julia Chiu’s
installation of a panoramic, abstract ink work and photographic self portrait constructs a
playful narrative whilst illuminating the dualities and ambiguities of cross cultural identity in
modern Australia.
Julia’s practice spans installation, sculpture, photography as well as musical and
collaborative projects. Whilst her work is constantly evolving, it is underpinned by the
enjoyment of and incorporation of different media and the unexpected modes of production.
Her inspiration for Karst can be traced back to the traditional karst landscape depictions
popular with Chinese masters, and also bears the influence of contemporary artists Cai Guo-giang and Song Dong whose conceptual works often incorporate unconventional media.
Having graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
(Visual Arts), Julia was later awarded First Class Honours in Sculpture at RMIT. Currently
completing her Masters, Julia has exhibited nationally, with recent shows at Boxcopy
Contemporary Arts Space in Brisbane and TCB art Inc in Melbourne. A Finalist in the 2007
RMIT Siemens Fine Art Scholarship Awards, Julia combines her artistic practice with work in
arts administration and curatorial projects.
Karst has been guest curated by Melbourne based curator Julia Johnston.

16/01/2009 - 08/02/2009
CLARA CHOW
PROBLEMATIC TRANSLATORS

Curator's note:
Clara Chow examines the current state of 'citizenship test' multiculturalism and 'handbook'
immigration in Australia with Problematic Translators at Immersion Therapy.
Exploring notions of cross cultural identity, translation and the language barrier, Clara's
video based works are simultaneously mocking and compassionate statements on the
current state of multiculturalism and immigration in Australia.
By translating original content from English to Cantonese and back into English again,
Clara's Primary Ballad (2008) embodies the arbitrary nature of information without context,
making comment on the Australian Government's requirement of new immigrants to
undertake a Citizenship Test and the accompanying 'Becoming Australian' handbook
produced in service of the test.
Combining the Asian phenomenon of Karaoke (a modern ESL learning tool) with a healthy
dose of Australiana, with Primary Ballad Clara establishes a visual world in which two
cultures sit side by side; neither fully articulated for the other. As Clara notes “the result is
both absurd and metrical, both a simulant of the English mistranslations seen (in
contemporary culture)... and a figurative representation of the forced transference of
culture.”
The videos are encased within a politically styled structure, and to be viewed, viewers must
step into ‘polling booths’, thereby replicating the protocol of the ‘democratic duty and
privilege’ of those who have already passed the test. In satirizing the need and cultural
insult of the Citizenship Test, Primary Ballad provides an alternate means through which
new migrants can attempt to learn about and identify with Australia. Using the popular and
multi purposed karaoke medium instead, migrants are offered an instant familiarity and
effectively bypass the need to read a 31 page manual in the process.
As a Hong Kong born Chinese-Australian, Clara’s practice is based on the cross-cultural
observations she makes in multi-cultural Australia. A bilingual speaker, Clara’s interest in
language reflects its dual role as both representative of culture and part of ethnic identity.
A timely exhibition in the face of Australia Day and Chinese New Year celebrations, which
both fall on January 26, 2009.

05/12/2008 - 21/12/2008
HUA CUN CHEN
SHIAU-PENG CHEN
ALAN COTTON
BENEDICT ERNST
ANDREA INNOCENT
DAMON KOWARSKY
JESSICA MAIDEN
FATEMEH VAFAEINEJAD
NAOKO YENEHARA
Exhibition: GROUP THERAPY

Curated by Dave Di Vito, curatorial assistance: Julia Johnston
Part and parcel of the modern experience is the sensation of duality; the underlying feeling
that one never truly belongs in one time or place.
The competing pulls in our lives; geographic, emotional or temporal are symptoms of a world in which our borders are crumbling and our boundaries are constantly on the move. For many, the reality is that whilst we remain rooted in our daily existence we do so without the same level of grounding we once might have expected.
Articulating the sensation of these oppositions, Group Therapy brings together nine of
Australia’s most interesting established and emerging artists in a show which explores the
push and pull between cultures and times that are now so prevalent in modern life.
The artists undertaking Group Therapy are united in that they all to some degree juggle the
influence and pull of multiple cultures although their individual approaches and use of media adds another layer and point of difference to the equation.