Guan Wei

Guan Wei was born in 1957 in Beijing, China. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Beijing Capital University in 1986. For a four year period (1989 – 1992)

Guan Wei undertook several residencies: Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania, Hobart; Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, Canberra; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In 1993, he received a distinguished talent visa that enabled him to immigrate to Australia. In 2008, he established a studio in Beijing and is now living and working in both Beijing and Sydney.

Guan Wei has held more than 70 solo exhibitions internationally. He also has been included in numerous international contemporary exhibitions, such as the Shanghai Biennial; Cuba 10th Havana Biennial; Australia Adelaide Biennial; Third Asia Pacific Triennial; Japan Osaka Triennial; and the Kwangju Biennial. Guan Wei has received numerous awards including the Gold Coast City Gallery Conrad Jupiters Art Prize (1994, 1998); Mosman Art Prize, Sydney (2001); Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW (2002); and Arthur Guy Memorial Prize, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria (2015). His works are held in numerous public collections in Australia and internationally. He is represented by Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney and Arc One Gallery, Melbourne.

“When I received the documents sent by Hurstville Museum & Gallery on the earliest Chinese migrants living in the region, I became instantly interested in a vegetable grower called Tiy Sing. I selected 12 images from the documents and created this Chinesestyled panel screen. The screen itself is a historical reflection on the change of time and space.

On the front screen, I painted Sydney’s coastline, showing the position of the Georges River. The big boat on the top right indicates that Tiy Sing came to Australia by boat. The head featured in the centre is the vegetable grower, Tiy Sing, and the stamp next to his face is a stamp from the immigration authority. On his left, viewers can see his house, vegetable gardens, his truck and the way he transports his vegetables. On the red ribbon at the lower end of the screen, is written ‘Australia the White Man’s Land’. The two portraits feature on the sheet music ‘White Australia: The National Song’. The White Australia policy was based on and driven by racial discriminations. Earlier legislation had also imposed a head tax of £10 on every Chinese migrant entering a New South Wales port.

On the back of the screen are four symbolic items. In the centre is Tiy Sing’s signage from his farm. Around the sign one can find a plough, fortune-telling sticks or chi chi sticks, and the palm print of his left hand. These symbols illustrate his life of hard work. Based on my understanding and interpretation of those historical documents, I have created a scene of a certain period in Australian history. This artistic creation is my representation of history. How we understand history decides how we will front the future. Whether it is a nation or an individual, confronting our past will enable us to extend good traditions and correct shortcomings, so that we can work towards a world of love, beauty, and harmony without any discriminations. As Gadamer says, ‘understanding is the way of human existence’.”