Zoom Culture: Prevailing Gales Art Project – Colliding Cultures in an Australia-Japan First Contact Story

Join us for a fascinating online presentation of the Prevailing Gales art project by Tasmanian-born artist Sue Pedley, exploring a little-known early encounter between Australia and Japan.

In 1830, a ship sailed by convict mutineers from Van Diemen’s Land (lutuwitra/Tasmania) attempted to land near Tebajima on the Pacific coast of Shikoku. The crew had arrived in search of water, firewood and food, but were repulsed by samurai from Awa Domain (Tokushima Prefecture) in line with the ‘closed Japan’ (sakoku) policy of the time.

Sue has created a powerful multi-media body of work, drawing on manuscripts written by samurai officials recounting their encounters with the so-called ‘barbarian’ sailors, the first of which was authored by local samurai Hamaguchi Makita and illustrated with watercolour and indigo dye. Sue’s installation incorporates cyanotypes (blueprints), paintings, sound, and rope, responding to themes of borders, wind, water, and map-making — all central to the narrative.

In this online event, Sue will share:

• Visuals from her Prevailing Gales art project
• Her research experience at the Tokushima Prefecture Archive
• Insights from her art residency on Tebajima
• Her participation in the Tebajima Art Festival 2025
• A preview of her upcoming exhibition at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, Hobart scheduled to open in February 2026