Cultural fair subvenue gears up for China-Australia exchange

The 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) is just around the corner. The United Creative Platform (UTCP) in Nanshan District, an important subvenue of the annual cultural event, will host the China-Australia Culture & Art Exchange Festival on Saturday for visitors to get a taste of cross-cultural exchange.

Themed “Taste Australia: Here and Beyond,” the festival will feature five main parts, namely an opening ceremony, the Intersection – China-Australia Creative Market, The Spirit of Australia – First Nations Art Exhibition, The Spirit Across the Ocean – Australian First Nations Art Workshop via International IP Protection Forum, and SHARE – Land Art Education Exhibition.

Wang Rongchang, vice president of the Hong Kong Artists Institute, and Tyrown Waigana, an artist and designer with Australian Indigenous heritage, will create a painting together at the opening ceremony.

The ceremony will also witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Australian art agency Solid Lines and Chinese brand Gaoling Chaoci. This will be the first collaboration agreement between Solid Lines and a Chinese cultural and creative brand.

Fifteen representative Australian brands will show up at the Intersection – China-Australia Creative Market, which will feature the three themes of Chinese and Australian culture and art, Australian cuisine and fine wine, and Australian-style sports.

The Spirit of Australia – First Nations Art Exhibition not only gives an artistic display of Australian history, but also attempts to integrate contemporary and other perspectives to present the art community’s long-term focus on decolonization research and Indigenous heritage.

Meanwhile, the exhibition will showcase the cultural and creative products of Australian Indigenous artists, including canvas bags, umbrellas, folding fans, Australian sandalwood and art puzzles.

At The Spirit Across the Ocean – Australian First Nations Art Workshop via International IP Protection Forum, Waigana will guide visitors to create an Indigenous artwork in person.

The forum will invite international experts, enterprise representatives and artists to hold discussions on exploring more possibilities in the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage and explore various perspectives on intellectual protection for original art.

The SHARE – Land Art Education Exhibition attempts to organically combine Australian Indigenous art with early childhood education, integrating the works of artists and children to create an artistic scene.

The exhibition also aims to combine the beauty of nature with human creativity, presenting an intuitive, experiential, abstract and spiritual artistic experience for visitors.