‘Home: Here and Now’ exhibition opens at TMAG
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is proud to present Home: Here and Now, a new exhibition exploring and celebrating the many ways that Chinese descendants live and belong in Tasmania.
Chinese people and their descendants have made Tasmania home for almost two centuries, and be they miner, market gardener, restaurateur, homemaker, student, or entrepreneur, ‘belonging’ in Tasmania means something different.
Evidence of Chinese settlement in Tasmania can be found from the 1830s, following the arrival of nine Chinese carpenters. During the tin mining boom of the 1880s, Tasmania’s Chinese population of 1,500 (1.3% of the total population) mostly lived in the rural northeast.
But everywhere that Chinese people have settled, the seeds of belonging have been sown. These have then grown into the communities and cultures that thrive across the globe. In the 2021 Census, 12,300 people in Tasmania reported having Chinese ancestry. This makes up about 2% of the Tasmanian population.
For this new exhibition, Home: Here and Now, TMAG spoke with recent migrants as well as fourth-generation Tasmanians of Chinese descent.
This fascinating exhibition brings together oral histories, personal artifacts and honoured objects that tell the story of the life of Chinese descendants in Tasmania. Included are items from the Guan Di temple originally located in Weldborough, traditional cooking and gardening implements and other domestic materials.
“A home is not only a place. It's about a relationship: how you connect with the location. I found myself quite connected and getting involved in the community and this makes Hobart a special and unique place for me to stay. And I call it home.” - Li Yang (b. 1991 in Shandong Province, China; migrated to Tasmania in 2017.)
“I am delighted that TMAG is hosting an exhibition that highlights the longstanding relationship between the Chinese and Tasmanian communities. It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase precious items from across the state including the Guan Di Temple from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston, our own collection and personal items from those whose stories are told in the exhibition.
It is important that we celebrate the diversity of Tasmania’s people and history and with this exhibition we share the stories of contemporary Chinese Tasmanians, and recognise their ongoing valued contribution to Tasmanian society.” - Mary Mulcahy, Director, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
“Australia is home to the world’s oldest continuous culture, home to people from over 300 ancestries, and now home to over one million Australians who claim Chinese heritage. We are a better and richer nation for the contributions of our Chinese Australian communities. I encourage you to visit the exhibition and hear the stories of how, over generations, Tasmania has become home to so many cultures and people.” - Gary Cowan, CEO, National Foundation for Australia-China Relations
The Home: Here and Now exhibition is supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, which works to promote enhanced cooperation between Australia and China. A key pillar of the Foundation’s work is engaging Chinese Australian communities.
This exhibition has been curated by TMAG’s Cultural Heritage team and assistance has been provided by the Chinese Community Association of Tasmania and Tasmania’s Fujianese community.
TMAG would like to thank the oral history interviewees: Brian Chung, Debbie Chung, Helene Chung Martin, Jan Everett, Ruby Lee, Li Yang, Chiing Yap. Thanks also go to Dr Kate Bagnall from the University of Tasmania.
The Tasmania and Fujian Sister-State Relationship
While people from all across China travel to Tasmania, the state has a special sister-state relationship with Fujian Province, on China’s southeastern coast. Since the early 1980s Tasmania and Fujian have been sister-states, exchanging both cultural and economic delegations.
Home: Here and Now is open at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery from 19 July 2024 to 3 November 2024 in the Salon Gallery at TMAG. Visitor entry is via Dunn Place, Hobart. Entry is free.
Image details:
Home: Here and Now, Installation views. Photography: Rosie Hastie.