Manton looks at the relationship between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the art world in Australia, one that seems to have been difficult, particularly since the 1970s when the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board gave way to a National Gallery and an Australian Council for the Arts. Furthermore this text examines the growing relations between Australian and Asian art communities during the second half of the 20th century.

Discussion of the issues for artists of Asian descent in the Australian milieu, exploring issues of identity and displacement. Unheard voices could also characterise emerging artists as well as those from a multicultural background.