ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/07/2006 7 February 2006
Major Australian art and culture promotion launched in Kolkata
The Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John McCarthy, today launched in Kolkata a two-year Australian cultural promotion program.
The promotion, AusArts: India - Celebrating Australian art and culture 2006-2007, is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC).
“During the next two years, AusArts: India will showcase the vibrancy of Australian culture through major events in India. These will include art exhibitions, design, film and literature, high quality drama, jazz and other art and cultural programs across India," announced Mr McCarthy.
“AusArts: India will showcase Australian literature in programs in Kolkata. Australia is delighted to be the Guest of Honour Country at the 2006 Kolkata Book Fair and is looking forward to being the Focus Country at the 2007 Book Fair,” noted the High Commissioner.
"As part of AusArts: India, three major Australian authors, Luke Davies, Larissa Berehnt and Isobelle Carmody recently took part in the 2006 Kolkata Book Fair. We are also pleased that a sizeable number of other acclaimed Australian authors, Jennifer Strauss, Peter Goldsworthy, Kim Scott, Ron Pretty, Lizz Murphy, Venie Holmgren and Chandani Lokuge were able to be in Kolkata at the time of the 2006 Book Fair,” he added.
The Kolkata AusArts: India launch coincides with an aboriginal exhibition “Seasons of the Kunwinjku” which is part of theAusArts program. The exhibition is a collection of contemporary indigenous Australian paintings that reflect the lyrical grace of West Arnhem Land’s rich artistic tradition.
For approximately 50,000 years the Kunwinjku people have employed the stylistic techniques and images expressed in ochre and earth pigments in this exhibition. Today’s Kunwinjku artists have transposed these traditions from rock and bark to paper, a development that has allowed the artists to communicate with renewed vitality.
As part of the AusArts: India promotion, a package of select Australian films was screened at the Kolkata Film Festival in November 2005.
Following the launch at Taj Bengal on 7 February, the exhibition will be on display at the Genesis Art Gallery, 8B, Middleton Street, from 8-12 February, 11 am-7 pm.
AusArts India: film, arts, literature is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with the Australia Council, the Australian Film Commission, Austrade, Tourism Australia and the Australia-India Council.