The School of International Studies was delighted to host the screening and panel discussion of ‘In the making: An Australia–Taiwan Indigenous art exchange’ at our City Campus. This impactful event officially marks the launch of the Ministry of Education’s Taiwan talk series in Australia.

The evening was organised by Dr Mei-fen Kuo, Lecturer in Global Culture and Languages, in partnership with the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Australia and supported by our School’s Taiwan Research Fund. It brought together academics, students, diaspora communities and local arts organisations, including the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.

The event opened with distinguished remarks from Dr Mei-fen Kuo, alongside:

• Director-General David Cheng-Wei Wu (TECO Sydney)
• Director Wei-Zhen Li (Education Division, TECO).

A central highlight of the evening was the documentary itself, which follows the collaborative creation and cross-cultural dialogue of four distinguished Indigenous artists:

• Judy Watson and Robert Andrew from Australia
• Yuma Taru and Akac Orat from Taiwan.

The film also features co-director Associate Professor Leah King-Smith’s research residency at Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory, exploring colonial history through visual storytelling.

Following the screening, an expert panel discussion featured:

• project co-curator and co-director Dr Sophie McIntyre (QUT)
• Professor Pei-Yi Lu (National Taipei University of Education)
• Emeritus Professor Richie Howitt (Macquarie and NTNU).

They shared profound insights on artistic practice, Indigenous cultural preservation and international higher education collaboration.

Cross-cultural dialogue thrives when we listen with a sovereignty-critical perspective and commit to long-term relationship-building built on trust. As the film beautifully demonstrates, the practice of weaving serves as a powerful metaphor for connections that are always ‘in the making’.