Victoria-Jiangsu Sister-State Artist Exchange
An initiative of the Premier of Victoria, the Victoria-Jiangsu Sister-State Artist Exchange marked the 40-year anniversary of a prosperous Sister-State relationship.
Professor Xu Fei, from Nanjing University of the Arts, and Victorian artist Dane Lovett met in China in September 2019, as Dane embarked on a six-week residency at the newly established Points Centre for Contemporary Art in Jinxi, Jiangsu Province.
The artists reconnected in Victoria in November 2019, when Xu Fei was hosted on a six-week residency at the Victoria College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. The artists shared the stage at a public conversational event, where they reflected on the opportunities the exchange had offered for concentrated research, professional development and intercultural awareness. As part of the exchange, the artists were each commissioned to create an artwork to be formally gifted to their host state, as creative testament to the success of the Sister-State relationship.
"After I arrived in Melbourne, it wasn’t long before I noticed that the opening line of all formal occasions is the Acknowledgement of Country, showing respect for Aboriginal culture and heritage. As I had come to Australia as an artist in residence, the idea of “residents” really struck me... That question can relate to the ownership of the earth, to issues between people who share the living space, and to relationships between humans and nature..."
Xu Fei, recipient of the Victoria-Jiangsu Sister-State Artist Exchange, 2019.
The program included the reciprocal acquisition of artworks by the artists, with Victorian artist Dane Lovett’s work being gifted to Jiangsu province, and Nanjing artist Xu Fei’s work being gifted to the State of Victoria.
Victoria-Jiangsu Sister-State Artist Exchange: a joint initiative of the Victorian and Jiangsu Governments.
Asialink Arts are supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Mr Tim Dillon, Commissioner - Greater China for the State Government of Victoria; Artists, Mr Dane Lovett and Professor Xu Fei; Deputy Director General of Jiangsu Foreign Affairs Office, Mr Liu Jiandong at Points Centre for Contemporary Art, China.