I am now making plans for the trip back to beijing in October th co- curate the exhibition Process/ Journeys. The following is the concept for the exhibition.
Process/Journey-

a China/Australia exchange exhibition

Process/ Journey is an exhibition co-curated by Tony Scott and Paula Payne. It will bring together artists from Australia and China to exhibit works that reflect upon the journeys that inspire them and to develop an understanding of the reasons why artists form enduring relations between cultures. The exhibition Process/Journey acknowledges the 35th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and China, and acts as a celebration of the ongoing presence of the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

Brian Wallace, Director of Redgate Galleries has offered the Watchtower Gallery, a 500 year old Ming Dynasty building, as the venue for the launch of the exhibition in Beijing on October 27th 2007. The Australian Embassy will help coordinate the exhibition in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, the exhibition will travel to Australia in 2008.

The artists who have been invited to participate in this project are: Li Gang, Guan Wei, Laurens Tan, Tony Scott, Lindy Lee, Jayne Dyer, Farrell & Parkin.

These artists have chosen to explore the connections as well as the apparent disparities between Australia and China. Throughout their journeys the artists act as channels of communication, who choose to extend their experiences beyond the comfort zones of there original homes to connect to the complexities and intricacies of other people and places. However the exhibition also raises questions as to why and how they maintain such a challenging process.

Questions the exhibition will address include:

How does an artist establish enduring connections between two seemingly disparate cultures?

Why does an artist continue to establish these links?

What are the artistic and personal challenges in establishing these links?

What changes in an artist’s practice when he/she lives and travels between two cultures?

What does it mean to be both an 'insider and an outsider' in these cultures?

The curiosity that drives this experience highlights a need to expand towards a deeper understanding of cultural and personal practice. It also raises questions about how contemporary artists are best able to communicate in a broader human context by using a language that extends beyond the boundaries of a national and individual identity.



This project initiates a series of exhibitions, events, and cultural exchanges that will instigate an ongoing series of journeys. It is an initiative that will be fuelled by interaction and cooperation, forming new audiences for contemporary art practice between China and Australia.

Process/Journey aims to celebrate Australia’s ongoing cultural interaction with China, and to establish new relationships and dialogues between artists, institutions and cultures.