Michelle Broun

First of all I would like to say hi and acknowledge the traditional landowners of this area, Brisbane area, the Toribul and Juggerabul people, and thank them very much for their beautiful welcome they gave us here and also give a hello, big hello from the Yinjibandi mob in Roebourne where I'm living. I would also like to suggest that some people move a bit closer because I'm showing some slides as well and visuals are pretty - well, I like them.

This little piece I decided to display was a piece of tie and stitch dye-resist dyed fabric that I bought in China earlier this year. I just thought I would put it up here because I think maybe you fellas are getting a bit bored with looking at the same thing all day. Anyway, today I want to raise and discuss issues related to the international cultural exchanges which I have been involved in as an artist and curator over the last several years with China. There are several issues related to the cultural concept of the term "cultural exchange" and also about how these different perceptions lead to different expectations which can then lead to misunderstandings and sometimes bad feelings between groups and individuals.

Even when you follow, as we believe we did, every correct protocol and cover every angle, you can still come unstuck. Misunderstandings about expectations at any level have a potential to lead to embarrassing and difficult situations but I must add, it is all part of a learning process and if we are mature enough to admit that we are wrong and that things can be improved upon, cultural exchanges may still be beneficial to both parties. I will begin with the exchange which saw Women's Work, Land and Spirit, travel to Beijing in 1995. I curated the Australian indigenous component of this exhibition and my colleague, Helen Ross, curated the Pacific works.

Women's Work, Land and Spirit represents 83 artists from Australia, Torres Strait Islands and seven Pacific Island countries. There is also one artist from Darnley Island in Torres Strait. The exhibition was shown in Beijing during the United Nations fourth world conference on women and the parallel non-government organisation forum. The purpose of this exhibition was to promote the important contribution women make by their craft practices to the economic, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of our communities, their communities and of the wider society. It was shown in Beijing at the Working People's Cultural Palace within the walls of the Forbidden City for two weeks. This venue was provided by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

WAPAC, as it was known then, Women of Asia and the Pacific exhibition of craft, was chaired by Pat Giles, Patricia Giles, an ex-Labor senator. WAPAC entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Culture in Beijing which provided a reciprocal exhibition of Chinese women's crafts shown at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art during the Festival of Perth in 96. The project took 3 years in total. Many steps were taken to ensure its success and smooth operation. On the whole, things went very well and have led to further exchanges with China but there were definitely areas where we can improve and provide some advice for others.

Right from the outset of the project we sought advice from the right sort of people and individuals and groups. The secretary of the Australia China Friendship Society was on the board of WAPAC. We sought advice from the officials from the Chinese Consulate-General in Perth and also the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, the cultural attache there, who actually opened the exhibition in Perth. An agreement was signed with the Ministry of Culture which basically stated the nature of the exhibitions and that three curators from either country would be hosted by the receiving country.

Everything was in place and seemed watertight. Whilst in Beijing the Ministry was extremely hospitable and the exhibition was very well received. All the right people attended the opening. Exhibition openings are generally tense situations and even more so when you're at an international opening. Both parties seemed to be disappointed, however, with the respective openings for different reasons. The exhibition in Beijing closed - this is one of the reasons we felt we were a little bit left out, let down.

The exhibition in Beijing closed promptly at 4pm; opened at 2pm, closed at 4pm. The women who had travelled 70 kilometres from the NGO forum on public transport in really hot weather were scrambling up the marble staircase to the entrance of the palace only to be turned away and there was no way in the world that the international exhibition agency would consider letting them in. We had gone to great lengths to ensure that invitations were distributed to the Australian Pacific tent at the NGO forum several days before the opening.

The Chinese people found at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art when they came to Perth that the title of the exhibition was not relevant or didn't make sense in Chinese. There was definitely a communication breakdown there. The Ministry did not respond to WAPAC's request to send the title over in time for promotional material to be printed and when a fax was sent with the title that WAPAC thought appropriate was in agreement with that basically. The title of an exhibition might to some people seem like a trivial thing but it can have repercussions and be quite a sensitive issue sometimes if it's not dealt with in the right way.

When we received the Chinese curators we had no control over who the Ministry sent. The exhibition in many ways was historical and not contemporary as the agreement stated but this seemed to be a cultural misunderstanding. We, in a way, were putting our own cultural values on the way exhibitions are curated because we would have preferred that the curator of a women's crafts exhibition be a woman when in fact it was a young man. It's difficult sometimes not to put your own values on those sorts of things.

The agreement stated that information for didactic panels and labels for all the works be provided by the Ministry and this was not forthcoming. WAPAC spent many days consulting directly with the curator and typing up all the information, just spent hours and hours and hours making sure that it was at the standard that PICA, the hosting venue, work with. Whilst in China the Australian curators were treated by the Ministry to a guided tour of another province. This trip had been prearranged and was not part of the agreement. It was extremely positive and delightful in many ways. However, to our dismay the Chinese arrived in Perth on the first day and wanted to go to Sydney to see the Sydney Opera House in lieu of the trip to Yunnan.

We found ourselves in an embarrassing situation, felt compromised in some ways and we had spent months lobbying hard in order to host the Chinese people, arranging all these meetings at art galleries, universities, what have you, artist studios, all the rest of it, to try and give them an equally satisfying visit to Perth and show them part of our culture and the diversity that exists there.

The Chinese also wanted cash in lieu of the meal allowance or the meal vouchers. We had been warned about this but it fell on deaf ears in a way so we were placed in an awkward situation which Helen Ross handled extremely diplomatically. We sought advice again from those people in the consulate and from the Australia-China Friendship Society. There was that sense that we didn't want to lose face and we didn't want to jeopardise any future projects with China for ourselves or other Australian artists because there were so many other positive things about it. In a sense we had taken up quite a bit of responsibility in that way.

The Chinese also wanted to sell the works at the exhibition and the agreement had stated that it was a non-selling exhibition so that caused some other uncomfortable feelings. We came to understand that there was a great deal we did not understand about Chinese culture apart from the difference in language. We thought a lot of that, most of it is probably our fault and we took on that responsibility of trying to change things and make things better for the next time.

The second trip to China was every bit as enjoyable but without many of the complications which arose from the previous exchange. This last trip was to Yunnan province where I travelled in April this year as an artist and I was able to travel there as part of a major fellowship which I received in 96 from the Community Cultural Development Unit of the Australia Council. Thank you very much.

I went with two other Australian women including an artist from South Australia, Jane Easton. We avoided signing any agreement and arranged our trip on a cash-for-service basis. Basically I negotiated with the Yunnan Culture Department a guided tour with all our expenses covered by the one fee. The Yunnan Culture Department arranged accommodation, food, provided a very experienced driver, a four-wheel drive, a guide, a translator and they knew almost exactly what we expected and what was expected of them. I think it really made things a lot easier to relate to each other.

We found that overall the trip allowed both parties to overcome many misunderstandings and break down stereotypes which were previously held. For example, both parties were amazed to learn of the cultural diversity which exists in the respective countries. We did not place ourselves in the situation where we had to receive Chinese artists at any particular time or venue although this is exactly what we are now working towards. It has left us far more time and flexibility to work with Chinese people and artists here so that we can carefully gauge what each party expects to gain from their experiences.

I am still anxious about the fact that the people we dealt with in China more directly were generally those that were more educated and could accept outsiders more readily. I got the distinct impression when we visited one of the factories, textile factories where these are made, that the local people were not interested at all in sharing their knowledge about dyeing fabrics and why would they? We would not have gained entry to these factories without help from the officials from the Yunnan Culture Department. We were with them and that's the only way we got in. We felt as if we were imposing and that they resented us, so in some ways we didn't stay around too long or annoy them too much.

We would definitely seek an invitation directly from those people if we wanted to travel back there or go back to that particular factory. We would have to consider seriously what we could offer these people in return for showing us some of their dyeing skills. Then again would they place any value on what we may suggest? Do we ask them what they would want? Money seemed to be one answer but how do you organise things in such a way that it leads to a meaningful cultural exchange as we perceive the words to mean?

These are all sticky questions relating to practical problems for artists and administrators involved in cultural exchanges and I refer to the talk earlier by Vincenzo who was talking about culture and multiculturalism and that sort of thing when he talked about the core values of cultures. We can't possibly work at international or even national levels, arrange cultural exchanges if we don't take those issues on board, the core values of cultures.

In closing I would like to say that cultural exchanges have the potential to be extremely beneficial and we need to take the time to analyse critically what we are doing and make sure that both parties are set to benefit. Those problems which beset us in the international arena are not so different from those which are experienced within Australia. Do not take things for granted about how people behave and their value systems. Do not assume that other people, particularly those of Asian and Pacific and Aboriginal cultures, are as enthusiastic as ourselves to participate. (Slides shown)

This is the palace in Beijing where Women's Work Land and Spirit was shown for 2 weeks. The International Exhibition Agency of Administrative Culture helped us install the exhibition and were extremely efficient and helpful. I don't think the light is very good there but our assistant curator, Barbara Rogers, and one of the assistants from the International Exhibit Agency inside the palace - some Chinese visitors to the exhibition. That printed fabric there comes from Derby in the Kimberleys in Western Australia.

The light is not too good on that one either, never mind. That was us and maybe we'd had a few many rice wines, I think, at that dinner, the banquet. That was the banquet after the opening and I presented a painted didgeridoo to the officials and they were pretty impressed, especially the guys when I explained that it was a manšs instrument.

This is Helen Ross outside the palace with our friend from the ministry who only wanted to be known by his English translation of his Chinese name, River, so River travelled all around Beijing and Ulan Province with us as well. Good old Carmen came along - she was heading the Australian delegation for the conference.

These are some of the works of the Women's Work Land and Spirit exhibition Kabrini Marie Wilson from Melville Island in the Northern Territory painted bark bag. Alison Carroll from Ernabella in South Australia, batik on silk. Noreen Ngala Hudson from Hermannsburg Potters in Hermannsburg, South Australia.

As curator of this exhibition I wanted to show overseas the diversity that exists in Australia in the indigenous people. Dulcie Greenough of Tasmania, not a great background but nonetheless beautiful string of shell necklace. Lucille Panua of Tonga, a prestige basket. Vivian Gilbert of Daly River in the Northern Territory, hand painting on silk. Not good light, myself, our assistant Barbara Rogers and Patricia Dyles.

Countryside of Ulan Province. Ulan, in the south it borders Vietnam, Laos and Burma and it's a fantastic province, the most culturally diverse of all the provinces in China. Typical scenery in the countryside and the architecture. We travelled into the north-west of the province. This is taken on my trip this year when I went to study these textiles in a city, a thousand-year-old city, called Daile, a little village outside the city.

The fabrics are indigo dyed and the patterns are made by stitching and tying and this a Bai, B-a-i, woman in traditional headdress. Inside a factory at Weishan and the pile on the right-hand side are pieces like this which are all tied together and stitched together before they actually go into the dye bath. An older woman outside the factory stitching onto a stamp design.

The fabric has been dyed and the stiches have started to be removed and just examples. Amazing fabrics hung up in the dusty streets of the village and a beautiful truck driven by the Tibetan people with a mountain behind it, just outside the restaurant where we were. Again that tied-up fabric. I don't know how well you can see all that detail.

A beautiful Bai woman in her - I bought some fabrics from this lady. Her headdress, the people live close to the mountains beside a huge natural lake and the headdress, the white on the top represents the snow on the mountains and the azaleas and camellias grow wild in the mountains and they've got the flowers embroidered there. It's very windy there and this part of the tassel here represents the wind and the little things along the bottom there represent the water, the lake.

If anyone is in Perth on 30 November, there's an exhibition opening of these fabrics that I brought back at Gallery East, opening at 2pm.

Inside one of the factories where we visited and again inside the factory. It was raining a lot that day, the light wasn't all that good. Again in the old city of Daile. Amazing architecture there. We came across an amazing event where there's these huge trapezes and it's sort of like a feat of strength. The idea is to get up to a certain height within the shortest amount of time, a competition. It's only concrete under you.

This is the southern gate of the ancient city of Daile and up the top there, this is a 600-year-old building. That's a Chinese karaoke bar and we were raging out having a great time with our Chinese friends, drinking lots of rice wine and having a great time.

On the left there Annette Rylstone, Jane Easton, Yung Chun Yan from the Ulan Culture Department, myself and an artist who lives in Daile, Mrs Lee and the funny thing about us arriving there this year was Chun Yan and the driver, Mr Gore, came to pick us up one at a time from the airport. Annette arrived first, "No, no, she's not Australian. She can't be Australian, she has black hair and slanty eyes," but her mother is Japanese. She was born in Australia. I arrived next and I thought, "What's going on here?" and then Jane arrived and they thought, "At last we have a real Australian," and Jane didn't like that comment very much but it was a lesson we were learning all the time from each other those sort of diversities which exist in our society. That was it. That's it for me.

Forward: Sandra Krempl