Our endless yearning for japan
This unique event will feature a panel discussion with a number of people who have had a long engagement with Japan in a range of areas including art, culture and business - in some cases since their time as a high school exchange student.
It will be held among an art exhibition by Michelle Belgiorno, entitled Shadows of Time, in Art Atrium Gallery, a gallery which has a special focus on cross-cultural collaboration and expression in art in a globalised world. The exhibition, showing from 8 to 22 June, is a personal journey reflecting on her half-century attraction to Japan and its rich cultural traditions.
Michelle will be one of the panellists in the discussion moderated by Kathryn Hunyor, a curator and consultant specializing in Japanese arts and culture. The three other panellists are Warwick Johnson, Lotte Lawrence and Relle Mott. Detailed bios below.
The event is free to attend and will include refreshments. Registration is open now. Click here.
Bio - Michelle Belgiorno
Michelle Belgiorno is a visual artist who works across various media including oil painting, sculpture, and collaborative fabric-based installations, with a strong connection to Japanese culture.
Belgiorno has been a practicing artist for 25 years and is represented by Art Atrium Gallery. She has held several solo exhibitions in Sydney and in Japan and has been a finalist in many prizes including The Mosman, The Paddington, The Kings and The Portia Geach Portrait Prize to name a few. Her work is held in private collections as well as the Australian War Memorial and the Cowra Regional Gallery.
Belgiorno holds a BA Fine Arts in Painting from the National Art School, a BA Honours in Japanese and a Master of Commerce.
Bio - Kathryn Hunyor
Kathryn is a Japanese-speaking curator and consultant.
She collaborates directly with artists and presenters to create contemporary art projects between Sydney & Tokyo, and beyond. She also works as a consultant with some of Australia’s major arts companies including the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Kathryn is the former Head of Creative Programs at the Australian Design Centre and formerly the Cultural Officer at the Australian Embassy Tokyo. She holds a Bachelor of Asian Studies & Masters in Japanese Literature from the University of Sydney.
Bio - Warwick Johnson
Warwick has a degree in Japanese and economic history from Melbourne Uni. He worked in fund management in Japan, Hong Kong, London and then established his own investment management company based in Sydney. He was a member of the VisAsia Council – supporting Asian art at the Art Gallery of NSW - for over a decade and became Chairman of VisAsia in 2014.
Bio - Lotte Lawrence
Based on the Gold Coast, Lotte has divided her time between Japan and Australia. Fascinated by the influence Japan has had on Western art, and vice versa, Lotte has a particular interest in Taisho and early Showa popular culture and clothing. This led to her opening a vintage kimono shop in Kyoto during the 80s. She is now a translator, specialising in contemporary art and fashion-related translation.
Bio - Relle Mott
From a 1978 student exchange year in rural Japan and subsequent post-graduate studies at Keio University, Japan continues to be part of Relle’s life. Relle dallied with architecture at university, studied Fine Arts and Japanese, became a Japanese teacher, then entered the wonderful world of horticulture. For the past 10 years, bi-lingual Relle has led walking and cultural tours to Japan, sharing her love and knowledge of Japanese life, arts and culture. She has a special interest in Japanese ceramics and the plant hunters of Asia in the 19th and 20th centuries.
