TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Indigenous artists from Taiwan and Australia will embark on an exchange program next year in the first such arrangement following the inking of an MOU between a government-sponsored foundation and the Australian Office in Taipei.
Ciwas Tahos (林安琪) of the Atayal people in Taiwan and Deborah Cheetham AO of the Yorta Yorta people in Australia will travel to each other’s countries for the initiative, according to the National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF), which signed the document with the de facto Australian embassy in June.
A graduate student in new media art, Ciwas Tahos has engaged in interdisciplinary projects spanning installation art and videotaping, delving into topics from decolonization to gender identity and social norms.
She will seek to learn more about how Asian people and local Indigenous artists exercise their digital sovereignty through the incorporation of new media and digital technologies. Queer community representation in the Australian cultural landscape also interests her.
A soprano, actor, and composer, Cheetham has been recognized with many awards for her contribution to the development of performing arts in Australia. She currently teaches at Monash University and is a Composer in Residence at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Australian artist Deborah Cheetham AO. (Facebook, Short Black Opera photo)
