CHO CHO & More Win Australian Arts in Asia Awards

Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke has announced the winners of the inaugural Australian Arts in Asia Awards at an event in Sydney tonight. The Awards celebrate the important role of Australian artists and arts organisations working in Asia and attracted 120 entries.

Finalists were nominated in 14 categories: partnerships, philanthropy, Indigenous, community engagement, innovation, individual artist, small to medium arts organisations, major arts organisations, visual art, literature, theatre, music, and digital and film.

Mr Burke congratulated the 69 finalists and said that he applauded their work building connections and friendships with Asian artists and arts organisations across the region.

"Too often people think about Australia's engagement with Asia as being just about trade, business and government.

"There is a cultural engagement which is much stronger than simply cultural exchange. It's not only ensuring that Australian creativity is available in Asia, and the creativity of great Asian artists is available here.

"It's also the case that new works of art that music, that performance, are only possible because of the engagement and the fusion of talent that occurs when Australians present their art throughout our region.

"These awards celebrate that as something which is important to Australia, important to Asia and important to the development of art itself."

The 69 finalists visited or worked collaboratively with artists in 16 countries throughout Asia spreading goodwill through innovative contemporary arts practice.

The Australian Government's Australia in the Asian Century White Paper and Creative Australia-the first national cultural policy in nearly 20 years-set the scene for the next decade and beyond.

The White Paper and Creative Australia encourage and support the development of stronger, broader and deeper cultural ties with Asian nations including through the efforts of our artists and arts sector.

The inaugural winners of an Australian Arts in Asia Award are:

Dance: Annalouise Paul for Game On [NSW] and Bangarra Dance Theatre for Spirit [NSW] (joint winners)

Literature: James Aitchison for the Mr Midnight/Mr Mystery book series [VIC]

Music: Tekee Media for Sounds of the Soul, Traditional Music of East Timor [NSW]

Visual Art: MAAP-Multimedia Art Asia Pacific Light from Light [QLD]

Theatre: Arts Centre Melbourne and Playking Productions for Cho Cho [VIC]

Digital and Film: Great Western Entertainment for Serangoon Road [WA]

Community Engagement: Asialink for The Bookwallah 2012 [VIC]

Indigenous: Warburton Arts for Our Land, Our Body [WA]

Partnerships: Arts Centre Melbourne and Playking Productions for Cho Cho [VIC]

Philanthropy: Snuff Puppets, for People's Puppet Project workshop [VIC] 4A Contemporary Art for Sydney Pavilion at the Shanghai Biennale [NSW] (joint winners)

Innovation: Museum Victoria for PLACE-Hampi [VIC]

Individual: Jayne Dyer for The Butterfly Effect [NSW]

Small-to-Medium Arts Organisation: Snuff Puppets for People's Puppet Project workshop [VIC] and Bearcage for The Story of Australia [ACT] (joint winners)

Major Arts Organisation: Sydney Symphony Orchestra for The Australia-China Cultural Exchange Program [NSW]

For more information about the award recipients and their winning projects please visit www.arts.gov.au/asiaawards.

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