Silent Dialogue
Featuring contemporary works of painting, performance, photography, sound, moving image, literature, installation and assemblage by leading Chinese-Australian artists, Silent Dialogue / 沉默的对话 is a group art exhibition about migration and the search for a sense of belonging in an ‘otherland’.
At the heart of the exhibition is the idea that it is the gesture of silence that is the key to mutual understanding and genuine dialogue across cultures, a realisation which has long been a cornerstone of Chinese philosophical thought. The title of the exhibition refers to the sense of ambiguity which tends to characterise the migration experience. It is an exhibition about feeling: present and absent; heard and un-heard; displaced and placed; welcome and rejected; angry and indifferent; and, grateful for an ‘otherland’ while grieving the loss of a motherland.
The exhibition incorporates:
A virtual exhibition at the end of March 2021. Featuring new and historical works by Guan Wei, Shen Jiawei, Fu Hong, Ouyang Yu, Zai Kuang, Pei Pei He, Echo Cai and Jenny Zhe Chang, the exhibition will show here at correspondences.work.
A specially commissioned soundscape which will guide the virtual viewing experience. Created by acclaimed vocalist and multidisciplinary artist Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, the soundscape will encourage the viewer to immerse themselves in the thinking process – inviting them to think more deeply about the migration experience beyond a typical, rationalising exhibition text language.
A digital story-telling initiative which engages our exhibiting artists at work in their studios and at rest in their local communities. Supported by videographer Tim Hillier, the interview series will provide insights into the creative processes and personal stories of the exhibiting artists, capturing a picture of the migrant artists’ experience in Australia.
An illustrated, multilingual publication featuring original texts by leading scholars and writers from different disciplines, cultural backgrounds, generations and places within Australia – to be published in December 2020. To find out more about our book —its talented designer and writers — please refer here.
The exhibition is co-curated by Echo Cai and Emma Thomson. Creative production and exhibition design is by correspondences.
COVID-19 Update
Subject to the evolving pressures and demands which have arisen due to COVID-19, in April 2021 (dates to be announced) our aim is to present a series of interconnecting exhibits of new works made by the artists across three Melbourne-based venues.
Alongside this, we also hope to present a weekend of performances, readings and talks in Melbourne with our participating artists, writers and selected performers and community leaders in April 2021. Designed to complement the themes of the book, the program aims to draw the public into a deeper conversation about art, translation and the topic of migration.
Our event website for events at St Peter’s Eastern Hill Hall is currently closed and will re-launch in 2021. Pre-sales of our book remain open here.
We sincerely thank you for your support as we navigate our way through COVID-19.
