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- 13 November 2001
Neo Tokyo Art Exhibition
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Page: 18423
The Hon. JAMES SAMIOS [10.41 p.m.]: I draw honourable members' attention to the opening of the Neo Tokyo Art Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art [MCA] at Circular Quay. The artists involved in this presentation are Command N., Satoshi Hirose, Shiro Matsui, Masato Nakamura, Yoshitomo Nara, Myeong-eun Shin, Taro Shinoda, Shingo Suzuki, Momoyo Torimitsu, Miwa Yanagi and Kenji Yanoba. The occasion of the opening of the exhibition marked the celebration of the MCA's tenth birthday. No doubt honourable members are aware that the MCA was set up pursuant to the John Power bequest, which was administered by the University of Sydney and assisted by the State Government.
It is pleasing to note that despite some difficult periods the MCA received assistance recently from the State Government in the form of $3 million per year for the next five years. No doubt this assistance will be crucial for the future survival of the museum.. The Museum of Contemporary Art in its 10 years achieved much, and distinguished service was rendered to it by former chairmen, among them Mr Sinclair, Geoffrey Cousins and John Reid. The chairmanship is now with John Kaldor, who is making an important contribution to the museum's survival. The MCA has played an important role in providing Sydney with access to contemporary art, a tradition that I believe was established earlier by Leon Paroissien and Bernice Murphy, who were curators for many years.
The opening by Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and the Japanese artists was in the presence of hundreds of supporters of the MCA. I should like to provide a sample of the program that has been made available to honourable members. The December program in the summer season involves Japanese language tours on 2 December when the MCA guide Miho Kondo will lead a tour of the Neo Tokyo exhibition. Later on the same day the New South Wales Youth Arts and Skills Festival will be conducted. The festival is a statewide program promoting youth involvement in the community through the arts and cultural activities. Following the launch this festival will feature youth performances at the MCA and next door at First Fleet Park.
On 5 December museum director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and artist Lyndal Jones, who represented Australia at the forty-ninth Venice Biennale, will host an insightful dialogue exploring Jones' most recent work, "Deep Water-Aqua Profunda". Elizabeth Macgregor will explore also the artist's interest in the relationship and tension between desire and ambivalence, external and internal worlds, and cultural and personal histories. Honourable members can be proud of the fact that the MCA continues to make an important contribution to the social and cultural development of our multicultural city. We can also be proud of its significant international impact. I believe the desire to reach out internationally to contemporary art is important for the success of Sydney's position and pivotal role in the art world. [Time expired.]
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