Supported by Creative Australia, the ongoing Australia Japan Cultural Exchange Project focuses on sharing Australian and Japanese approaches to arts and disability practices, while fostering meaningful collaboration and professional connections between Australian First Peoples artists with disabilities and Japanese artists with disabilities.

Following Arising in the East, an exhibition showcasing work by Japanese artists with disabilities at the DADAA Fremantle Gallery, the 2025 iteration of this ongoing intercultural exchange between DADAA, Tanpopo-no-ye Foundation, and Atelier Yamanami welcomed new partners: peak arts body Community Arts Network and the Martu-run art centre Martumili Artists.

Together, they travelled to Japan to exhibit the work of Martu artist Judith Anya Samson and Yamatji artist Mandy White in Kyoto and Koko-Shi. Their parallel exhibitions, Wonder Works and Waranggu Barna, highlighted the bold colours and expressive styles of Mandy and Judith, whose artworks tell the stories of the Country and communities in which they live. Speaking about the opportunity to exhibit her work in Japan, Judith Anya Samson said: “Palya! [Good!] To put it in the newspaper – they going to read about it! The story! The people in Japan are going to read about it, about the Martu – our Country. They can see the three large paintings I sent to Japan!”

The Kyoto exhibition was accompanied by the Australian First Peoples Forum: Sharing Art and Stories, featuring keynote speakers alongside the exhibiting artists. The forum aimed to strengthen relationships and deepen understanding of the themes, stories, and practices represented in the exhibitions. It offered Japanese audiences a unique opportunity to connect with Australian First Peoples artists and learn more about their cultural and social contexts. The forum was led by independent curator Michelle Broun, with a presentation by Michelle White, Executive Producer CAN.

Mandy White also delivered a workshop for artists at Atelier Yamanami, a studio for artists with disabilities in Shiga. Participants were invited to create their own real or imagined bush creatures using found objects and Mandy’s eclectic collection of bright and shiny decorative materials.