Creating a Region: Asian-Australian Artistic Exchange 1980s-1990s

Australia's position during the Cold War was defined by its US alliance, formalized by the ANZUS treaty (1951) and membership of SEATO (1954), which aimed to provide military security in the Pacific against communism. Throughout this period, Australia sent troops to Malaya, Borneo, Korea, and Vietnam. Anxieties about spreading communism and decolonisation largely shaped Australia’s relations with the region at the time.

By the 1970s, this perspective began giving way to pragmatism and opportunism in economic and strategic matters. Australia forged diplomatic relations with China and joined regional forums. The end of the White Australia policy saw a move toward multiculturalism and the growth of Asian migration.

By the 1980s and early 1990s, this engagement had extended to culture. The period marked the emergence of significant contemporary art practices across Asia, which found early support in Australia as it redirected its cultural diplomacy toward the region as the Cold War drew to a close.

Australian initiatives such as Continuum (1983-85), Artists Regional Exchange (1987-1999), Asialink (est. 1990), the Asia Pacific Triennial (est. 1993), and Art Asia Pacific magazine (est. 1993), provided opportunities for Asian and Australian artists and curators to participate in exhibitions, publications and residencies. These projects also reflected Australia’s shifting conception of regionalism, driven by a desire to overcome the ‘provincialism problem’ and create a counterpoint to Euro-American cultural dominance in which it could play a part. This in turn contributed to the development of a regional art discourse that continues to frame the art of the Asia Pacific today.