In this ever-changing world one thing is for certain: the world needs artists and their artwork. Art interrogates, communicates, and illuminates, and Australian artists are at the forefront of this important labour.
So while one might recognise that Australian artists are the lifeblood of Australia’s cultural psyche, they might also ask how that is that translated abroad? And is that stage indeed welcoming of Australian artists?
While international travel is off the cards for a while, this pause is a good time to consider future career paths, and whether the investment in taking your career offshore pays off, or not?
To mark International Artist Day, ArtsHub asked Australian artists, across disciplines, about their experiences on the international stage, and whether local audience engagement is more fruitful than looking beyond the shores.
Omar Sakr, Poet (The Lost Arabs, 2019, UQP)
‘I am the child of migrants, born of three nations, and as such, I am by default “international”, so it would be incredibly silly for me to say that international engagement with my work didn’t matter.
‘We live in a deeply interconnected and unequal world, one in which the leisure of the few is dependent on the labour of the many, one in which bombs travel more freely than bodies, where every benefit is burdened with knowing how it was made, and it is my responsibility as an artist to reflect on this, on the glorious and the ghastly, in a way that is hopefully transformative or that provokes change.
‘There are barriers between all bodies, language barriers, class barriers, race and sex and gender barriers, knowledge barriers, land and water barriers, and the task of being human is finding ways to overcome them, to be closer to one another, to understand and to love.’
Brian Ritchie, VIOLENT FEMMES’ BASSIST AND Curator of Mona Foma
‘International engagement is like alcohol, coffee or sex. You don’t need it until you’ve had it. Then living without it becomes difficult!
‘We (Violent Femmes) recorded a landmark album before we had interstate engagement, forget about international. It was a personal and local statement. This propelled us on a journey around the globe which had profound consequences. For me, this included relocating to Australia. Making music internationally with global musicians has been my reality.
‘Art is more imagination than interaction. Some artists never leave their home. COVID makes us swap habitual peregrinations for local engagement. Let’s embrace this and develop robust homegrown scenes. International engagement is exhilarating but we should create no matter how small or wide our circles are.’
Marikit Santiago, Visual Artist and winner of 2020 Sulman Prize
‘As a mother, I have had very little opportunity to travel internationally and I worry that I must engage internationally to make progress in my career. I can’t apply for long term international residencies while my children are so young. Conversely, it may not be productive for me, or beneficial to their wellbeing, to bring them with me.
‘I have had two recent experiences travelling to Manila for research: one self-funded, without my children and the other with the whole family on a travel grant. I was far more productive travelling alone but felt guilty for having left my family behind.’
Frances Rings, dancer and Assoc. Artistic Director at Bangarra
‘Early in my career I was fortunate to receive funding to further my training at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York. This invaluable opportunity was instrumental in making me the artist I am today. The elite training in other techniques gave me the strong foundation and skills I needed at Bangarra.
‘As contemporary cultural carriers, we hold a deep responsibility to the stories that are entrusted to us and then shared with our International audiences.
‘Our artistic impact includes cultural exchange, building understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures as well as an Intercultural dialogue with First Nations people and communities around the globe. Our international presence gives audiences insight to our Black experiences, authentically, powerfully and unapologetically.’
Collaborative duo Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Visual Artists
‘The idea of an Artisan obtaining new experiences, techniques and perspectives through travel and learning from different masters can be traced back to the The Journeyman or the Wandergeselle of late medieval Europe. Maybe due to the tyranny of distance, international engagement is an idea that has been historically supported through contemporary grants and residencies in Australia. In our official present way of thinking, ideas of local engagement and community are highly revered. Yet the idea of group consensus and engagement runs counter to the mode of the iconoclast. It is an important job of the artist to challenge ideas within our own culture. International engagement offers the chance to gain critical mass of ideas within a global sphere.’
NIGEL FEATHERSTONE, NOVELIST (BODIES OF MEN, 2019, HACHETTE)
‘For fiction writers, especially novelists, international engagement is important, primarily because of the increased sales and the career sustainability that comes from that, though I’m yet to experience the full wonders of it. In 2019 my novel Bodies of Men was published in Australia and New Zealand by the fabulous Hachette Australia and has lifted me up a long, long way.
‘In terms of getting broader traction overseas: well, COVID-19 has made that a bit more challenging, hasn’t it. Earlier this year I was commissioned to write a memoir piece for the Australian issue of the Chicago Quarterly Review, which was a terrific opportunity, though the launch in Brisbane was cancelled due to COVID. Also this year, three songs from The Weight of Light, a song cycle I wrote with James Humberstone, were to be performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, which would have been incredible, but that, too, was cancelled.
‘In any case, I just keep writing the stories I want to write and the way I want to write them; whatever happens from there is in the lap of the gods. If every time I sat down at the desk I told myself to write something that might have a life overseas, the project would be a spectacular failure. I’d probably also have a heart attack.’
PHOEBE RUSSELL, Principal Double Bass QSO
‘After spending one year at the Australian National Academy of Music, I spent the majority of my official study years studying overseas as a student at Hanns Eisler in Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic’s Karajan Academy – a two year side by side program where students work and perform alongside members of the Berlin Philharmonic. I would say a large portion of my experience and education came from my time overseas however most of what I learnt was building on the fundamentals that my teacher at ANAM, Damien Eckersley, taught me. I still feel that my younger years studying in Melbourne ignited my passion for music and made me the musician I am today.
‘I certainly don’t believe it is a necessity to go overseas to train however I believe it is a very worthwhile experience. I found I gained a huge amount musically and personally from immersing myself in the prominent history and musical culture that Germany has to offer and by throwing myself into the deep end moving to the other side of the world.
‘Australia is an amazing place to be a musician, especially because the music industry is such a melting pot of different styles and influences and in some ways I feel more free to be myself through my music in a country that doesn’t have a fully established style or tradition. I do, however, cherish my experiences overseas and continue to enjoy travelling internationally to broaden my perspective and connect with artists from all around the world.
‘In saying all that, I don’t believe international engagement is overrated however I don’t think it is a deal-breaker either.’
Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2020 recipient Charlie Ingemar Harding The Grand Event 2020, © Charlie Ingemar Harding. Photo: AGNSW, Christopher Snee.
Charlie Ingemar Harding, Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2020 recipient
‘International engagement is incredibly valuable for artists. While I have no formal international art experience, in my travels, art has bridged many gaps; culture, age, and language. I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Okinawa, Japan run by two older people as their first ever guest. I came to know them. I painted a mural and a sign for them and ate traditional food with them. Art was the breakthrough medium, the facilitator of connection.
‘In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I drove with an artist I happened to meet in his hometown. We painted a mural together then went to a bar across the road and drank while watching the Brazilian football team play. Art creates opportunities – linking people and establishing immediate attachment through a common language. To me, the statement that “international engagement for artists is overrated” is a myth.’
Mirandi Riwoe, Author (Stone Sky Gold Mountain, 2020, UQP)
‘I had a difficult time getting my first work of fiction – set in Victorian London – published in Australia. It was eventually picked up by a UK publisher, who then sold it back into the Australian territory, so I will forever be grateful to them for granting me that initial exposure and boost to my self-confidence.
‘With time, though, as parochial as it might sound, I wanted to write a book especially for an Australian audience and publisher, which is when I began work on Stone Sky Gold Mountain, set in North Queensland. Of course, I would love for it to be published internationally but, for now, I am very pleased to be engaging with local readers.’
Riley Fitzgerald, Dancer Sydney Dance Company
‘As dancers and artists, we have an extraordinary opportunity to inspire, transform and reflect the lives of others. We open ourselves up, expressing our vulnerabilities, exposing our deepest flaws – as well as our greatest attributes – to hundreds of people night after night. The key purpose of international touring is to share our voice, and display the creativity and innovation that is happening here at home with all people, globally.
‘My experience touring internationally with Sydney Dance Company has been extraordinary. The deep-rooted love for the arts that many countries have embedded in their culture is thrilling, and a joy to participate in. Likewise, my experience performing locally has been as equally as fulfilling, important, and an absolute privilege.’
