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4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, formerly known as Gallery 4A, 4A Galleries, Asia-Australia Arts Centre and also known simply as 4A, is an Australian independent
not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
organisation based in the Haymarket area of
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. It commissions, exhibits, documents and researches Asian and Asian-Australian
contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
in Australia, and promotes Australian talent in Asia, promoting and maintaining cultural connections between the nation and the region. The gallery and the associated Performance 4A (for the
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
) were founded by the Asian Australian Artists Association Inc. in 1997. The centre is funded mainly by
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
, state and
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
sources, but also by private sponsors and organisations, and generates its own income. It has partnered with the
Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice Biennale, Venice and São Pa ...
twice, as well as other organisations such as the
Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. History and description Campbelltown Arts Centre opened in 2005, located on the traditional ...
to mount major exhibitions and events.


History

4A began in 1995 when a group of artists, curators and theatre-makers started meetings to discuss how to encourage Asian Australian creatives and contribute to the national discourse about Australian culture, and to broaden the understanding of what constitutes
Australian art Australian art is a broad spectrum of art created in or about Australia, or by Australians overseas, spanning from Prehistory of Australia, prehistoric times to the present day. The art forms include, but are not limited to, Indigenous Australi ...
, and bring about structural change. They established the Asian Australian Artists Association Inc. in 1996, to "present and promote the work of Asian and Asian-Australian artists". The association was initially focused on both theatre and
visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...
. The organisation was then split into Gallery 4A (opened in 1997) and Performance 4A (which later split off and became
Contemporary Asian Australian Performance Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being used for filming, festivals, ...
, a resident company at
Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being use ...
). Some content has been extracted from the audio component. Founding artists and curators included Filipino-Australian artist Victoria Lobregat, Vietnamese-born Dacchi Dang, Hong Kong-born
John Young John Young most commonly refers to: *John Young (astronaut) (1930–2018), American astronaut * John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar (1807–1876), British diplomat and politician John Young may also refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) ...
and
Melissa Chiu Melissa Chiu (born 1972) is an Australian museum director, curator and author, and the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC. She is a board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the American Allian ...
, who was also the inaugural director. 4A was established at the end of the
Keating government The Keating government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Paul Keating of the Australian Labor Party from 1991 to 1996. The government followed on from the Hawke government after Paul Keating replaced Bob ...
, which had established ties with and engaged with Asia. Soon afterwards
Pauline Hanson Pauline Lee Hanson (''née'' Seccombe, formerly Zagorski; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian S ...
, who questioned the value of
multiculturalism in Australia Multiculturalism in Australia is today reflected by the Multiculturalism, multicultural composition of its people, its Immigration to Australia, immigration policies, its Racial Discrimination Act 1975, prohibition on discrimination, equality be ...
and spouted anti-Asian rhetoric (suggesting that Australia was "in danger of being swamped by Asians"), was emerging in Australian politics, and as such a continuing goal of the organisation has been to "highlight the cultural contribution of Asian migration to Australia and to develop Asian and Australian cultural relations". However, at the same time, the influence of both
Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
art and that of Australia's migrants was being felt and discussed at conferences, in writing and in artistic circles. The first gallery, called Gallery 4A, opened on Sussex Street in 1997, in Sydney's Chinatown, before relocating in 1999 to a larger site with two galleries on Liverpool Street and again in the following year to its current location on Hay Street in the heritage-listed Corporation Building, owned by the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the Local government in Australia, local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament ...
. In 2003 and 2004 fundraising exhibitions were mounted at the gallery, which was then known as the Asia-Australia Arts Centre (a name it retained until 2009). At that time public funding accounted for only around 20% of total income. In 2006, Gallery 4A partnered with the
Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice Biennale, Venice and São Pa ...
for the first time, displaying works at "Gallery 4a at the Asia-Australia Arts Centre" for the 15th edition of the event from June to August. In 2009 the organisation was renamed 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. There were times during the 2000s and early 2010s when 4A nearly went under owing to lack of funding. In 2012, director of 4A Aaron Seeto (2008–2015) wrote a submission on behalf of the centre in response to a discussion paper by
Arts NSW Create NSW is a government agency of the Government of New South Wales, that falls within the Enterprise, Investment and Trade cluster. The agency was created on 1 April 2017 from an amalgamation of Arts NSW (ANSW) and Screen NSW. Create NSW is ...
, regarding an arts and cultural policy for the state, in particular the matter of cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) in the arts. In March 2014
Edmund Capon Edmund George Capon (11 June 1940 – 13 March 2019) was an art scholar specialising in Chinese art. He was director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1978 to 2011. He was also the chair of soccer club Sydney FC from 2006 to 2007. E ...
was appointed chair of the board, a position he retained until his death in 2019. In 2018 4A partnered with the Sydney Biennale for the second time. In April 2021, the Copyright Agency's cultural fund announced the launch of a Copyright Agency Partnerships three-year artistic commission series, in partnership with 4A, the
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art The Australian Centre For Contemporary Art (ACCA) is a contemporary art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The gallery is located on Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, in the inner suburb of Southbank, Victoria, Southbank. Designed by W ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, and the
Institute of Modern Art The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) is a public art gallery located in the Judith Wright Arts Centre in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley, which features contemporary artworks and showcases emerging artists in a series of group and ...
in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. The commissions, worth , are designed to support mid-career and established
visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
s with a commission as well as a
solo exhibition A solo show or solo exhibition is an art exhibition, exhibition of the work of only one artist. Rather than a group of artists who collaborate to form an exhibition. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photogr ...
. Western Australian artist TextaQueen was awarded the inaugural commission.


Description

The 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is also referred to as 4A Galleries, or just 4A. In Australia, 4A encourages a cultural dialogue between Australia and the Asian region, presenting and examining stories and issues pertaining to how the nation engages with Asian culture and nations. It commissions, exhibits, documents and researches
contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
in Australia, shining a light on
Asian-Australian Asian Australians are Australians of Asian ancestry, including Naturalization, naturalised Australians who are Immigration to Australia, immigrants from various regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants. At the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...
experiences represented in artistic form, as well as how migrants have contributed and changed Australia and continue to do so. In the wider region, promotes Australian talent in Asia, striving to maintain cultural connections between the nation and the region. The centre has also always had a firm focus on Australian artists not of Asian background, and has played a role in the national discussion about what makes up
Australian culture Australian culture is of primarily Western origins, and is derived from its British, Indigenous and migrant components. Indigenous peoples arrived as early as 60,000 years ago, and evidence of Aboriginal art in Australia dates back at least 3 ...
. 4A is supported by government, cultural and commercial partners, in order to present exhibitions,
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
, projects and programs relating to artists at all levels of their careers; run residency programs for emerging artists to help develop their careers; consult with the community; and engage in advocacy. The centre's location in Haymarket is close to the more recently named neighbourhoods, Thai Town (around Campbell Street) and
Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...
(around Pitt and Liverpool Streets). The gallery is being renovated, so all programs, exhibitions and events are presented online. These include 4A Digital, which commissions
digital art Digital art, or the digital arts, is artistic work that uses Digital electronics, digital technology as part of the creative or presentational process. It can also refer to computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960 ...
works; 4A kids; and the online journal ''4A Papers'', which was established in 2006 and published biannually until 2020, and from 2021, published concurrently with 4A programs.


Significance

The first two editions of the
Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is an art museum located within the Queensland Cultural Centre in the South Bank precinct of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. Opened on 2 December 2006, the GOMA is Australia's lar ...
in 1996 and 1999 included almost exclusively Asian artists from outside Australia, and Asian Australian artists were largely left out of the concept of "Australian art" during the 1990s. The association realised that there was a long road ahead to bring Asian Australians into Australian art and, more generally, Australian identity. From the beginning, 4A championed risk-taking and experimental art, and has been a venue for the first group exhibitions for emerging artists as well as for the first solo exhibitions for mid-career artists and a place to push their practice, many of whom have retained connections with the gallery. Michelle Antoinette wrote in 2014 that 4A had "established an important profile in Australia, but also Asia, as a significant independent art space for the development of contemporary art at the intersection of Asian, Australian and Asian–Australian concerns".
Fiona McGregor Fiona Kelly McGregor is an Australian writer, performance artist, and art critic whose third novel, ''Indelible Ink'', won the 2011 The Age Book of the Year Award. Early life and education McGregor was born in Sydney, New South Wales. Career ...
wrote in 2015 that, 20 years after its inception, 4A "remains a
vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...
, a much needed touchstone of the land we live on, its regional location and the specifics of art from those places". In an
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art The Australian Centre For Contemporary Art (ACCA) is a contemporary art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The gallery is located on Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, in the inner suburb of Southbank, Victoria, Southbank. Designed by W ...
(ACCA)
lecture series A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theor ...
entitled ''Defining Moments: Australian Exhibition Histories 1968–1999'', taking "a deeper look at the moments that have shaped Australian art since 1968... the game changers in Australian art", former director Mikala Tai was invited to speak on the topic of the founding of Gallery 4A, the inaugural exhibition in 1997, and the impact it has had on contemporary art discourse.


Governance and funding

The 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is a registered charity. 4A Gallery developed philanthropic interests through its earliest exhibitions, and fund-raising has always been a key part of the gallery's activities. Early events attracted luminaries of the Australian art scene. Today it is funded by a variety of sources, including the
Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the prime ...
via the
Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...
and Visual Art & Craft Strategy; the
New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...
through
Arts NSW Create NSW is a government agency of the Government of New South Wales, that falls within the Enterprise, Investment and Trade cluster. The agency was created on 1 April 2017 from an amalgamation of Arts NSW (ANSW) and Screen NSW. Create NSW is ...
; the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the Local government in Australia, local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament ...
; ''
Art Monthly Australasia ''Art Monthly Australasia'', also known as ''Art Monthly'' and formerly titled ''Art Monthly Australia'', is an Australian visual arts magazine published since 1987. Since 1992 the magazine has been published by non-profit publisher Art Monthly ...
''; many individuals and various organisations and charitable foundations. It reported income of in the 2020–21 financial year, of which 78% came from government grants and 12% self-generated. The Centre is run by a board of 11 people , chaired by
Julie Ewington Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...
, specialist in contemporary Australian art and founder member of the
Women's Art Movement The Women's Art Movement (WAM) was an Australian feminist art movement, founded in Sydney in 1974, Melbourne in 1974, and Adelaide in 1976 (as the Women's Art Group, or WAG). Background Such movements had already been created in other countries, ...
in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
in 1976. Amrit Gill, former Director of International Development at the
Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...
, has been Artistic Director and
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of 4A since February 2021, in a role expanded from that of simply Director. The role of Director had been previously held by Mikala Tai for five years, before she was appointed Head of Visual Arts at the Australia Council. 4A is a member of the advocacy organisation
Contemporary Art Organisations Australia The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) is a public art gallery located in the Judith Wright Arts Centre in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley, which features contemporary artworks and showcases emerging artists in a series of group an ...
.


Notable exhibitions

Gallery 4A's inaugural exhibition, titled simply ''Inaugural Exhibition'', in 1997, curated by 4A's first curator and director
Melissa Chiu Melissa Chiu (born 1972) is an Australian museum director, curator and author, and the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC. She is a board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the American Allian ...
, featured three Asian-Australian artists: Emil Goh,
Lindy Lee Lindy Lee (born 1954) is an Australian painter and sculptor of Chinese heritage, whose work blends the cultures of Australia and her ancestral China and explores her Buddhist faith. She has exhibited widely, and is particularly known for her lar ...
and Hou Leong. This exhibition in the first tiny gallery set the tone and foundational aims for the aims of Gallery 4A. ''Edge of Elsewhere'' was a three-year collaboration with the
Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. History and description Campbelltown Arts Centre opened in 2005, located on the traditional ...
which commissioned artists from Australia, Asia and the
Pacific region The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
to create new works, produced for the
Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...
from 2010 to 2012. From February to May 2015 the major project ''Mass Group Incident'', curated by 4A, was presented in Sydney. The project comprised a series of three components: the first by the Chinese art collective the
Yangjiang Group The Yangjiang Group is a Chinese artist collective founded in 2002 by Zheng Guogu (born 1970), Chen Zaiyan (born 1971), and Sun Qinglin (born 1974). The group's name takes after their hometown in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province. The Yangjiang Group' ...
("Actions for Tomorrow"); the second by nine diverse artists ("Tell Me My Truth"); and the last a program presented over two days, of live performance and other art ("48HR Incident"). The five-month project was put on at 4A's galleries and several off-site locations, and also included site-specific projects and film screenings, supported with
Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the prime ...
funding by the
Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...
and the
Australia-China Council The Australia-China Council (ACC) was a long-standing institution in the Australia-China bilateral relationship, established by the Government of Australia in 1978 to promote mutual understanding and foster people-to-people relations between A ...
of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian government responsible for foreign policy and international relations, development aid (under the name Australian Aid), consular services, overseas trad ...
, as well as the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the Local government in Australia, local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament ...
and the Chinese Garden of Friendship at
Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...
. 4A Centre was a partner of the 21st
Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice Biennale, Venice and São Pa ...
in 2018, exhibiting the work of Chinese-Austrian artist Jun Yang and Japanese film artist
Akira Takayama is a Japanese director. He is the leader of the theatre unit Port B, which he founded in 2003 to create site-specific performances. Life, career, and style Takayama was born in 1969 and spent several years in Germany studying theatre and lin ...
. In April/May 2019, an exhibition titled ''By All Estimates'' featured the work of three
Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...
artists: the London-based
Erika Tan Erika Tan (; born 1967) is a London-based Singaporeans, Singaporean contemporary artist and curator whose research-led practice emerges from her interests in anthropology and the Film, moving image. Her recent research examines the Postcolonialism ...
, Sydney-based Jessica Bradford, and Singapore-based Moses Tan, as well as Indian multimedia artist Rathin Barman, who is based in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. In 2021, an exhibition entitled ''I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2'' was presented by the
Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. History and description Campbelltown Arts Centre opened in 2005, located on the traditional ...
in collaboration with 4A and the International Curators Forum (ICF), featuring the work of six artists, including Australians Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and
Lindy Lee Lindy Lee (born 1954) is an Australian painter and sculptor of Chinese heritage, whose work blends the cultures of Australia and her ancestral China and explores her Buddhist faith. She has exhibited widely, and is particularly known for her lar ...
. The first of a series of ICF's ''Diaspora Pavilion'' events run in collaboration with 4A, it afterwards moves to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
for the second edition.


Publications

4A is also a publisher of exhibition catalogues and other monographs.


Notable people

* Laurens Tan, board member from 1998 to 2008


References


External links

* {{ACArt Asian-Australian culture Haymarket, New South Wales Contemporary art galleries in Australia Art museums and galleries in Sydney Art museums and galleries established in 1996 1996 establishments in Australia