“MAKING Connections” is an innovative exhibition that comprises modern and contemporary works by well-known South-East Asian artists.

The exhibition draws upon the cultural collections of the University, as well as private works including those of former diplomat Neil Manton. The show aims to demonstrate the productive and ongoing artistic dialogue between Australia and the region, focusing on the particular efforts of the ANU School of Art and Faculty of Asian Studies.

When entering the gallery, one confronts a glass cabinet which displays historical documents, photographs, sketchbooks and other material. This archival material supplements a free and informative exhibition catalogue containing contributions by leading academics that shed light on the work and its context. Included here is a fascinating account by Professor Virginia Hooker, which details the history of the ANU’s Asian-focused programs and initiatives. Hooker also speaks of the art on display and some of the familiar works around the campus, including the life-size bronze statue ‘Saraswati’, a gift from Indonesia in 1969, when the two countries were in the process of rebuilding relations. This statue now welcomes people into the University chancellery. In conjunction with the exhibition’s broader purpose it provides a timely reminder of why cultural exchange is important, especially at times like the present.

The value of cultural engagement—a notion often defined in terms of soft–diplomacy —should never be underestimated, but the merits of the art itself are of course also worth discussing.

The exhibition showcases a range of artists working in a variety of mediums, including textiles, mixed media, photography, oil and watercolour painting and sculpture. One piece that visually excites is the oil on canvas ‘Renungan Air 3’ by Malaysian artist and poet, Latiff Mohidin. This powerful piece, which translates as ‘Reflections on water’ conveys the spiritual force of nature through spontaneous, expressive and vibrant brush strokes. As Caroline Turner’s bio on the artist notes, Latiff works from intuition rather than logic and reason.

The work ‘Untitled (Flowers)’ by the influential Indonesian artist, Affandi, also demonstrates an expressionistic flair. Through the physicality of painting with his fingers and by applying oil straight from the tube this piece projects a unique sense of layer and texture, as well as gestural movement and energy.

Some work on display draws on religious themes, Buddha and Allah both feature largely. Other pieces are decidedly political. Take, for instance, Bun Heang Ung’s pen on ink work, which depicts the atrocities imposed on the people of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge.

While ‘Making Connections’ might have benefited from a more theme-based approach, paradoxically, part of its charm is that of eclecticism. And, in the end what is especially striking is the quality and breadth of work, and the reminder too of the ANU’s dedicated and nationally-important engagement with South-East Asian art.