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ON NOW // ACUTE ACTIONS:
RESPONSES TO I AM NOT A VIRUS (PART 2)

Launching today and running until 3 July, Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not A Virus Part 2 is an artist-led exhibition that seeks to unpack the hidden injuries of racism through the lived experience of Asian Australian artists and Asian artists living in Australia.

Commissioned through Diversity Arts Australia’s I Am Not A Virus initiative and presented in partnership with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, the two-part exhibition series presents the works of twelve artists who have wrestled with racial prejudice and reframed multiculturalism to reflect a new lived experience

Acute Actions: Responses To I Am Not A Virus (Part 2) 
Jin Hien Lau, Nathan Liow, Zachary Lopez, Sweet and Sour Group
3 June - 3 July 2021
Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10am - 4pm
4A @ DARLINGHURST, 101 - 111 William St, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Read the Roomsheet.
MORE INFO

ON NOW // I AM A HEART BEATING IN THE WORLD:
DIASPORA PAVILION 2

Experience the navigations, imaginings and lived experiences of Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Kashif Nadim Chaudry, Lindy Lee, Leyla Stevens, Zadie Xa and Daniela Yohannes in the group exhibition I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2.

Curated by Adelaide Bannerman, Mikala Tai and Jessica Taylor, the exhibition explores the distinct and yet shared reality of living at distance to ancestral homes through the eyes of artists living in Australia, the UK and the Caribbean. This show is presented by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and International Curators Forum in partnership with Campbelltown Arts Centre. 

I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Kashif Nadim Chaudry, Lindy Lee, Leyla Stevens,
Zadie Xa and Daniela Yohannes
22 May – 25 July 2021
Campbelltown Arts Centre, New South Wales,
1 Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown NSW 2560

Read the Roomsheet.
Access the Media Kit.
LEARN MORE
 

DONATE TO 4A // HELP US
FUTURE-PROOF OUR GALLERY
This EOFY, consider donating to 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Your support will help us to continue our commitment to champion Asian art and culture in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region via ground-breaking exhibitions, professional development programs and educational outreach. 

Since 1996, 4A has been the only Australian organisation dedicated to the presentation of the many Asian Australian identities that comprise our nation through contemporary visual art. As the only small-to-medium arts organisation with Climate Active certification in NSW, we are also leaders in climate responsibility. 

Your donation will help us future-proof our Haymarket gallery and maintain our climate-active priorities. Thanks to the City of Sydney, we plan to move back into a climate-controlled and fully-restored gallery in Hay Street in 2022. To future-proof our space, 4A is investing in a professional gallery lighting system and installing better paint and chemical disposal facilities. A new lighting system will allow us to continue staging world-class exhibitions and reduce our energy use by 70% annually. Wow, right? But we cannot do what we do at 4A without the support of friends and supporters! Please donate to 4A today and see your dollars make a difference to the lives and careers of countless Asian Australian artists, collectives and communities in 2021 and beyond.

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Donate an amount with an '8' for extra good luck! :)

Read Amrit Gill's EOFY donation appeal letter
 
DONATE TO 4A ONLINE
 

APPLY NOW // CAP COMMISSION
Turn your big art idea into an exhibition at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art! In partnership with Copyright Agency, 4A invites mid-career and established Australian artists of Asian ancestry to apply for the Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP) commission. The recipient will receive an $80,000 grant, inclusive of a $20,000 artist fee, as well as curatorial support to develop and present a significant body of work at 4A during 2022. Individual artists, art collectives and groups working across all media may apply. We strongly encourage potential applicants to contact 4A prior to submitting a proposal via the Copyright Agency website. 

Applications close 25 June 2021.

Watch our CAP commission Q&A video on 4A IGTV.
INFO / APPLY

APPLY NOW // BURWOOD CHINATOWN PRECINCT PROJECT

4A encourages Sydney based artists and collectives to apply for the Burwood Chinatown Precinct Project for a chance to create a socially-engaged public artwork that celebrates cultural diversity and harmony.

Burwood Council, working together with Burwood Chinatown, will commission an artist or collective to lead this project, with Council seeking an artist or collective to create a socially-engaged public artwork which celebrates cultural diversity and harmony. By working directly with local stakeholders, the recipient artist or collective will design and create a contemporary mural and light installation. Located in the heart of Burwood’s CBD, Burwood Chinatown is a dining and retail precinct best known for its authentic Asian street food. 4A encourages artists of culturally diverse backgrounds to apply.

Applications close 5pm 17 June.
INFO / APPLY

APPLY NOW // DIGITAL DIASPORAS RESIDENCY

Applications are now open for the Digital Diasporas online residency, a partnership between China Residencies (China/Hong Kong) and host organisations 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Sydney, Australia), Chronus (Shanghai, China), and Gendai (Toronto, Canada).

4A invites Chinese and Chinese diaspora artists, curators, and collectives interested in collective, intercultural and cross-border development and research, to apply for this exciting remote, online residency. 

The three host organisations will facilitate this residency between mid-October to mid-December 2021. Each resident or collective will primarily work with one host organisation in Canada, Australia, or China, and all residents as a cohort will be in dialogue with one another through convenings. Each resident or collective will be awarded an unrestricted stipend of AUD $10,000 for their participation.

Applications close midnight in your time zone Thursday 15 July. 
INFO / APPLY

WATCH // AMY ZHANG & MAGGZ PERFORMANCE

It’s all about that qi energy flow! Acute Actions: I Am Not A Virus (Part 1) exhibiting artists Amy Zhang and MaggZ enthralled audiences with a live performance of 气 (qi), which uses contemporary movement to embody states of balance and equilibrium. The performance was held at Firstdraft to celebrate the closing of Part 1 of our exhibition series, presented by 4A in partnership with Diversity Arts Australia.
WATCH ON 4A IGTV

ONLINE & OFFSITE // 4A PROGRAMS IN 2021

Where is 4A? Our team is currently working online and offsite while the City of Sydney undertakes remedial works to improve our Hay Street gallery this year. During this time, we continue to commission, present, document and research contemporary Asian art and the active role it plays towards understanding and developing the multifaceted relationship between Australia and the wider Asian region. Look out for 4A programs and partnerships happening around Australia during 2021.  
VISIT OUR WEBSITE

FRIENDS OF 4A // OTHER NEWS
  • Access Diversity Arts Australia's Resources & Research portal for cultural diversity resources and learning tools for individuals and organisations.
  • Australian visual artists working in any medium are invited to apply for the churchie emerging art prize  at the Institute of Modern Art. Entries close 20 June 2021.  
  • Shoes Off is a podcast by Jay Ooi that explores topics and stories about Asian Australian culture.
  • Zadie Xa and Benito Mayor Vallejo are featured in 13th Shanghai Biennale 第十三届上海双年展 - Bodies of Water until 25 July.
  • Campbelltown Arts Centre and Next Wave Festival will present Milk & Honey & Lemons, a new hybrid audio/live performance work by Moreblessing Maturure from 15 - 24 July 2021. 
  • Michelle Law will stage her multi-lingual production Miss Peony 牡丹小姐  at Belvoir from 3 July-1 August.
  • N.Smith Gallery launches to the public with the exhibition Welcome, featuring Jordan Azcune, Tom Blake, Casey Chen, Neva Hosking, Kyra Mancktelow, Dylan Mooney, Thea Anamara Perkins, Rebecca Selleck, James Tylor and Kai Wasikowski. Until 6 June.
Image captions:
Zachary Lopez, Roil Horizon, 2021, bamboo, nylon, various materials and objects. Courtesy the artist. Copyright Agency Partnerships hero image, supplied by Copyright Agency. Leyla Stevens, Our Sea is Always Hungry, 2018, single channel HD video (still), stereo sound, 13min 16sec. Courtesy the artist. Digital Diasporas, supplied by China Residencies. Burwood Chinatown hero images, supplied by Burwood Council. Reproduced banner from The Umbrella Movement Visual Archive, (2014), installation exterior view, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the Umbrella Movement Visual Archive; Photo: Document Photography. Lu Yang, Āśrava World Installation View, COMA, Sydney, 2021. Image courtesy of the Artist and COMA, Sydney. N.Smith Gallery, image by Neva Hosking. Zadie Xa and Benito Mayor Vallejo, The Word for Water is Whale, 2021, courtesy the artists.

Acknowledgements:
Acute Actions: Responses to I Am Not a Virus is a two-part exhibition presented by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and Diversity Arts Australia, as part of the I Am Not A Virus project. Supported by Australia Council, Create NSW, Creative Victoria, City of Sydney, City of Parramatta and Inner West Council. I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2 is presented in partnership with International Curators Forum and with support from Outset. This project has been supported by The British Council. The Digital Diasporas initiative is jointly funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, administered by the Australian Embassy, Beijing.
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4A acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which our Sydney gallery is situated, and gives respect to Elders past, present and emerging. 

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is an initiative of the Asian Australian Artists Association Inc. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Commonwealth Government through the Visual Art & Craft Strategy and the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body; the NSW Government through Create NSW and the City of Sydney; and all of our donors and patrons.

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