Cultural Diplomacy
Australia has one of the most sophisticated creative sectors in the world and is home to world-leading cultural institutions.
The Australian Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section has a proactive cultural program designed to promote and showcase Australia’s vibrant and diverse society in Japan. Our cultural diplomacy program is underpinned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)’s Public Diplomacy strategy.
We work with Australian and Japanese government agencies and arts organisations to increase opportunities for the Australian arts industry and to foster strong cultural links between our two countries.
Our major activities include:
- strengthening existing relationships and cultivating new networks between Australian and Japanese key cultural decision makers and arts professionals;
- consolidating Australia-Japan government-to-government partnerships that provide the foundation for bilateral cultural activities;
- and providing information on Australian arts and cultural projects in Japan through our website, social media and other channels to engage Japanese audiences on contemporary Australia.
First Nations Arts and Culture
Australia’s arts and culture are grounded in the material heritage, practices and knowledges of First Nations peoples, who possess one of the world’s longest surviving cultures. For First Nations peoples, culture encompasses knowledge that is held, shared and continually adapted, including language, music, dance, stories, songlines and songspirals, and visual art. Culture is central to the health, wellbeing and identity of First Nations peoples, governed by sophisticated systems of knowledge.
Based on the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy and DFAT’s Indigenous Diplomacy Agenda, the Australian Embassy Tokyo promotes the diverse excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, expertise and innovation.
Click here for details on past programs in Japan.
Visual Arts
Australian visual arts is rich and dynamic and is becoming increasingly prominent in the international art scene. Australia also has many leading artists who create works with state-of-the-art technology.
Click here for details on past programs in Japan.
Media art
From 2001, the Australian Embassy has supported the showcasing of Australian Media Art in Japan. Media Art is the mixing of innovation and technologies in the creation of art. It has become an integral part of the Australian art scene. Australia has many leading artists in the Media Art scene, including Patricia Piccinini, SymbioticA, Jeffrey Shaw, Troy Innocent and Stelarc.
Showcase: Japan Media Arts Festival
Each year the Japan Media Arts Festival is held in February. Australian Artists regularly participate. The festival provides artists the opportunity to engage counterparts from around the world through presentations and workshops. For more information, please visit the Japan Media Arts Festival website.
Performing arts
Australia is home to a diverse range of performing art groups, such as musicians, dance troupes and theatre performers, all whom display energy and diversity emblematic of Australian culture.
Many performers are involved in international exchanges. The Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australian Dance Theatre and Circus Oz, amongst others, are recognised internationally for the quality of their productions and have undertaken world tours. Even smaller companies, such as dance troupe Chunky Move, have toured the Middle East.
Showcase: Tim Watts’ The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is an innovative solo performance, by Australian performer Tim Watts, combining animation, finger puppets, projections, a ukulele and songs. Tim Watts tells the futuristic story of Alvin Sputnik a deep sea explorer whose mission is to journey into the depths of the ocean to find a new place for survivors to live after the seas have risen and destroyed most of humanity.
Tim Watts is the man behind the show – literally as he is the deviser, director, producer and performer. This performance was both a powerful work of art and top-quality entertainment, and received high praise and acclaim from across the globe, including the New York Times:
“Alvin Sputnik … an endearing Australian solo show told in stick-figure animation and puppetry … akin to a theatrical Wall-E” and Broadway.com: “I highly doubt any $40 million Broadway spectacles could pack such emotional wallop into two-and-a-half-hours as Mr. Watts does into 45 minutes.”
Performances included the World Theatre Festival Shizuoka under Mt Fuji, TACT Festival in Osaka, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Uriko Theatre in Nagaya, and BIRD Theatre Festival in Tottori.
Showcase: Polyglot Theatre: ‘We Built This City’
Australia’s renowned Polyglot theatre company toured Japan presenting their production We Built This City. It allowed children to build an imaginary city out of cardboard which they then dismantled at the end of the show. Live and mixed music along with gregarious characters encouraged children to exercise their skills in cooperation, compromise and practical application throughout the performance.
Polyglot performed at Kijimuna Festival, an annual event in Okinawa and Asia’s largest youth festival. They also performed in Minami Sanriku to show Australia’s support to the Tohoku region after the Great East Earthquake, funded in part by the Australia-Japan Foundation.
Showcase: Translation of Australian plays
Australia has a great number of famous and well-loved plays. A recent project has involved the translation of these texts into Japanese to allow Japanese audiences to appreciate these texts. Please see the following PDF for a list of Australian plays that have been translated into Japanese.
Film
Screen Australia’s support for the film industry has resulted in many overseas film successes. Australian actors such as Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush and Naomi Watts continue to receive acclaim in Japan.
Showcase: Tropfest
Tropfest, a prestigious short film festival, is an iconic cultural event in Australia and has significantly contributed to the development of Australia’s film industry.
The Australian Embassy was thrilled to support the inaugural Tropfest in Japan at Yokohama Minato Mirai’s Grand Mall Park in May 2014 by screening some of the most popular films to come out of Australia’s 2013 Tropfest Festival. The event embraced the Tropfest culture and Australian atmosphere by offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy Australian cuisine and wine as they viewed the unique short films in the outdoors.
To find out more about the film festival, please visit the Tropfest Australia website.
Music
Australian music is another big export and covers an extraordinary range, from classical to contemporary to children’s entertainment.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra regularly tours Japan, and guitarist Slava Grigoryan is one of a number of prominent classical musicians and composers who regularly tour and work overseas. An eclectic group of Australian contemporary artists have achieved international success in Japan, including AC/DC, Gotye, Nick Cave, INXS, Kylie Minogue, Keith Urban, and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
Showcase: Australian Jazz Journey
The Australian Embassy has been building connections over a long period of time to introduce Australian music onto the Japanese music scene. An excellent example of this is the Jazz Journey. Initially we introduced Australian Jazz artists to the Tokyo Jazz festival during the 2006 Year of Exchange. Since then, particularly in the wake of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, it has grown organically to include performances in the Tohoku region at local schools, the Iwate Jazz festival and the Jozenji Street Jazz Festival in Sendai.
As a result of these efforts, Australian musicians have been able to establish ties in Japan. Opportunities to perform and even release CDs in Japan are increasing.
Artists that have visited Japan as part of the Jazz Journey include:
- The Marty Holoubek Trio/ Marty Holoubek with SMTK (2019)
- Robert Burke Quartet (2018)
- The Gravity Project (2017)
- Paul Grabowsky Quartet (2016)
- Paul Grabowsky Trio (2015)
- Cookin’ on 3 Burners (2014)
- Dereb the Ambassador (2013)
- Steven Rossito (2012)
- Mike Nock Trio and Misinterprotato (2011)
- Mike Nock Trio (2010)
- Aaron Choulai Sextet, Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band and the Michelle Nicolle Quartet (2009)
- Alister Spence Trio (2008)
Literature
Australian literature has transformed along with the course of time and trends of the society. After the multiculturalism policies were implemented in the 1970s, the multicultural aspects of Australia were shown widely, for example in migrant literature and indigenous literature, and revealed Australian literature to be unique to that of English literature. Patrick White has been awarded the 1973 Nobel Literature Prize, being the first Australian laureate in literature.
To introduce and showcase Australian literature in Japan, a project called “The Masterpieces of Australian Contemporary Literature Series” was established by Gendai Kikakushitsu Publishing in 2012. With the support of the Australia-Japan Foundation, the program aims to increase the recognition of contemporary Australian literature by translating and publishing Australian novels in Japan. Not only showcasing the excellence of Australian literature, the series looks to reveal 'Contemporary Australia' and share with the Japanese audience the diversity of its culture and society.
Supporting Institutions
Please see this PDF for a list of institutions that have supported events related to Australian arts and culture in the past.