'In the Making' Screened at Macquarie University, Showcasing Taiwan-Australia Indigenous Art Exchange

(Central News Agency, Sydney, 11th – Special Dispatch) Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, today held a screening and symposium for 'In the Making: An Australia–Taiwan Indigenous Art Exchange'. The event attracted local scholars, arts professionals, and individuals concerned with Indigenous issues, who together witnessed the achievements of artistic exchange between Indigenous peoples of Taiwan and Australia.

This screening was part of the 'Taiwan Talk' lecture series funded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education and co-organized by the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia and Macquarie University. The opening was hosted by Kuo Mei-fen, a lecturer at the School of International Studies. In their opening remarks, Wu Cheng-wei, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, and Li Wei-chen, Secretary of the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, noted that Taiwan and Australia have a long history of close exchange and cooperation in education, culture, and Indigenous issues.

The documentary 'In the Making' focuses on four Indigenous artists from Australia and Taiwan: Australian artists Judy Watson and Robert Andrew, and Taiwanese artists Yuma Taru and Akac Orat. The film records the artists as they transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, sharing their life stories, artistic practices, and cultural knowledge through residency exchanges, collaborative creation, and in-depth dialogue, and jointly creating new works, demonstrating the power of art as a medium for cross-cultural communication.

'In the Making' also documents the creative journey of key scholar and artist Leah King-Smith during her time at the National Museum of Prehistory in Taiwan. Drawing inspiration from historical photographs in the museum's collection, she used the colonial history of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples as her creative theme, conveying the value and spirit of freedom through visual art.

The film's co-directors, Sophie McIntyre, Associate Professor at Queensland University of Technology; Lu Pei-yi, Professor at National Taipei University of Education; and Richie Howitt, Yushan Scholar at National Taiwan Normal University and Emeritus Professor at Macquarie University, also participated in a post-screening discussion. They shared experiences and outcomes of Taiwan-Australia Indigenous art exchange from perspectives including artistic creation, Indigenous cultural preservation, international cooperation, and higher education exchange.

In a telephone interview with Central News Agency, Li Wei-chen stated that Taiwan is a multicultural society, and Indigenous culture is a crucial foundation shaping Taiwanese culture. She noted that universities and colleges in Taiwan have established Indigenous Student Resource Centers, which not only provide support for Indigenous students but also serve as important windows for international students and the public to learn about Taiwan's Indigenous culture. Therefore, the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia welcomes more Australian students to study in Taiwan, to participate in campus life and personally experience Taiwan's rich and diverse cultural content.

Li Wei-chen mentioned that the Education Division will continue to use diverse activities like the 'Taiwan Talk' lecture series to introduce Taiwan's educational, cultural, and social development achievements to Australian society, thereby promoting exchange and cooperation in education, academia, and culture, and deepening the Taiwan-Australia partnership. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1160611