Art Gallery of South Australia: Radford Auditorium (standalone building at rear of gallery)

Cross Currents Book Talk

Join us at AGSA’s First Fridays to celebrate Crosscurrents, a Flinders University Museum of Art exhibition and publication that explores South Australia’s coastal and marine environments through art, research and storytelling.

Presented as part of Nature Festival’s 2025 theme of FLOW, the Crosscurrents panel brings artists Chris De Rosa, Honor Freeman, Michael Kutschbach, Sonya Rankine, Mary-Jean Richardson, and curator Belinda Howden, to reflect on the processes and ideas underpinning their works and the newly released publication.

From reimagined cultural practices and encounters with marine ecologies to the everyday rituals of walking, swimming, and observing the shifting edges of land and sea, Crosscurrents charts the many layers of life spanning Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna, and Narungga waters, from Encounter Bay to Moonta.

Hear from the artists in the Radford Auditorium to experience a conversation that brings the tidal complexity of our coastal worlds into focus, where you will also have the chance to purchase a copy of the Crosscurrents publication. Each book contains a limited-edition print created by one of the six Crosscurrents artists: Brad Darkson, Chris De Rosa, Honor Freeman, Michael Kutschbach, Sonya Rankine and Mary-Jean Richardson.

As part of Nature Festival 2025, the Art Gallery of South Australia presents a series of events responding to this year’s theme, FLOW. Embracing the multiple meanings of flow—from the movement of water across Country to the rhythms of creative process and the passing of knowledge through generations—these programs invite audiences to engage with works from AGSA’s collection through the lens of ecological and cultural interconnection. Featuring artist talks, performances, and cross-disciplinary discussions, the series reflects on the impermanence and resilience that define both the natural world and human experience.

  Purchase the book at the event, in the AGSA bookshop or at any time via this link : https://www.flinders.edu.au/museum-of-art/publications

International Symposium 国際シンポジウム

Reimagining Nature Through Japanese Studies & Art: How to Think the Unthinkable Beyond Ecoanxiety

日本研究とアートで自然を再想像する: 思考の限界に挑んでエコ不安を超える方法

In the age of the climate crisis, ecoanxiety among young people has become a significant concern worldwide. Global warming, symbolised by the image of a polar bear clinging to a small piece of ice, evokes feelings of anger, sadness, and helplessness in young people. The question is not just how to reduce CO2 emissions. To address the challenges we face in the Anthropocene, we need to rethink the anthropocentric human-nature relationship that underpins modernity. However, imagining a non-anthropocentric world is difficult because we have few references in contemporary society that allow us to conceive of an alternative relationship with nature. In this context, what is the significance of Japanese Studies and art? In this international symposium, we explore the possibilities of reimagining the human-nature relationship through Japanese Studies and art, and its relevance for envisioning a sustainable future.