Copyright Agency Partnerships’ first commission and exhibition opens with TextaQueen: Bollywouldn’t at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
October 27, 2022
Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP), an initiative of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, celebrates the opening of the inaugural commission and exhibition of TextaQueen’s highly-anticipated Bollywouldn’t, on view at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney from 22 October until 18 December 2022.
TextaQueen’s exhibition celebrates the queer South Asian diaspora through decolonising and reclaiming institutions and the imagery of Bollywood film genres.
The work was commissioned as the first in a three-year series run by CAP with leading Australian arts institutions 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Sydney), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (Melbourne) and the Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), designed to support mid-career and established visual artists with an $80,000 artistic commission and solo exhibition opportunity.
Copyright Agency CEO Josephine Johnston says, “The CAP commission offers a significant and timely opportunity for an Australian visual artist to create and exhibit a new commission, and to work with curators at leading cultural organisations that will promote their work to Australian audiences.
“We are delighted to be supporting and championing TextaQueen’s work and, importantly, unique voices within the Australian cultural landscape.”
Bollywouldn’t is a balm to the displacement of diaspora deconstructing the ‘-isms’ in the Bollywood genre and giving agency back to South Asians, particularly those marginalised through sexuality and gender identities. This major commission echoes TextaQueen’s enduring practice of connecting with the community using texta as a mechanism to bring people together.
TextaQueen says “Dreaming up Bollywoudn’t, I was inspired by the connections I made in London during my ACME residency with queer and trans South Asian communities and the forces of disruption and reclamation that are so familiar to anti-colonial movements. Imagining new worlds, Bollywouldn’t asks us questions and offers riddles — the only way to really parlay with power. These narratives are right at home at 4A, and I’m chuffed to be presenting Bollywouldn’t with support from the Copyright Agency Partnerships commission.”
Curator and 4A’s Artistic Director and CEO, Amrit Gill, says “As an Asian-led organisation we are thrilled to be presenting this major commission by TextaQueen, an artist who, for the past 20 years, has been a leading voice in Australia’s South Asian contemporary arts community. Through Bollywouldn’t, we open our arms and our space to the queer South Asian diaspora to engage with the exhibition and public programs — to make 4A their space.” Visit 4A.com.au to discover a suite of dynamic programs to coincide with the Bollywouldn’t exhibition, including publications, performances, workshops, and a library space for reflection.
Ms Johnston adds, “As an annual competitive commission hosted over three years, CAP is providing critical mentoring and financial support to artists such as TextaQueen, affording them the time, space and resources to create, along with a guarantee that the work will be exhibited with curatorial and institutional support. For today’s visual artists, it’s a unique creative and development opportunity to which we hope many will apply for the third-year commission funding.”
In 2023 the Copyright Agency will partner with ACCA to exhibit the next artist, James Nguyen’s major exhibition Open Glossary, opening in September 2023. The third artist commission and exhibition through the Copyright Agency Partnership will be offered in 2023 with the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane.
Visit TextaQueen: Bollywouldn’t at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art until 18 December 2022.
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Jane Morey
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About the Copyright Agency and Cultural Fund
The Copyright Agency is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that has been standing up for creators for more than 40 years. We enable the reuse of copyright-protected words and images in return for fair payment to creators by connecting users and creators of content, providing licences for the use of copyright material such as text, images, art and survey plans. We manage the educational and government licences for the use of text and images, as well as the resale royalty scheme for artists (by Government appointment). Our members include writers, artists, surveyors and publishers. Membership is free. www.copyright.com.au
The Cultural Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Copyright Agency, contributing meaningfully to a wide range of Australian cultural, educational and artistic programs and creators. Through its support it fosters greater understanding and engagement of national culture both locally and internationally.
About 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
4A is an independent not-for-profit organisation based in Sydney, Australia. We foster excellence and innovation in contemporary culture through the commissioning, presentation, documentation and research of contemporary art. Our program is presented throughout Australia and Asia, where we ensure that contemporary art plays a central role in understanding and developing the dynamic relationship between Australia and the wider Asian region. www.4A.com.au