Precious Treasures

宝•藏 Precious Treasures 4 – 28 February 2021

Willoughby City Council Lunar New Year Art Exhibition, produced by Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University

Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture

VENUE Incinerator Art Space 2 Small Street, Willoughby NSW 2068 www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/arts GALLERY HOURS Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm Incinerator Art Space is a Willoughby Council facility

Presented by Willoughby City Council in partnership with Chatswood Year of the Ox Festival to celebrate Lunar New Year 2021

威乐比市政府农历新年展

Produced by / 出品 Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University

西悉尼大学澳中艺术与文化研究院 宝•藏

Precious Treasures

策展人 / Curator: 关伟 Guan Wei 参展艺术家 / Exhibiting Artists: 富中清 Amy Fu 关伟 Guan Wei 符子龙 Jason D. Phu 钱建华 Justin (Jianhua) Qian 张露茜 Louise Zhang 杨熹发 Xifa Yang 助理策展人 / Assistant Curator: 徐娴 Xian (Angela) Xu 出品人 / Producer: 韩静 / Jing Han Front cover image: Capital Theory Series #6, 2020 by Xifa Yang Booklet design: Celia Zhao, Western Sydney University

宝•藏 Precious Treasures

In the oldest Chinese dictionary Shuowen Jiezi, treasure is defined as “precious”. Artworks created by artists through their unique perception of life strike a chord with people around the globe, linking the world of kindness and beauty.

Such artworks are called “precious treasures”.

The character zang in Chinese has multiple meanings.

Apart from “treasure”, it can also mean “storage” as well as “collection”.

Australia, cradled by the Pacific and Indian Oceans, enjoys a well-preserved natural environment. It is a truly precious country with its unique flora and fauna and many natural treasures. This continent thus provides an unlimited and fertile space for artists to explore a wide range of creative expressions in the creation of artistic treasures.

When the first generation of Chinese artists arrived in Australia, they were modest and humble, hiding themselves in the western world. With the passing of time, they have learnt to amalgamate the philosophies and sensibilities of the two worlds in their artistic creations. They have created many precious artistic treasures.

The young generation of Chinese Australian artists grew up in the western world, but the cultural heritage from their parents flows on in their blood. In their search for self-identity, they have learnt to accept and incorporate their unique biculturality as part of their artistic processes. Their artworks demonstrate a strong sense of self and power of fusion.

Just as Ernst Cassirer says in his book An Essay on Man, “Great art of all times has arisen from the interpenetration of two opposing forces”, this exhibition features artworks of interpenetration of eastern and western cultural and artistic forces, from a range of Chinese Australian artists of various different ages and backgrounds. These artworks are turning this art space into a treasure trove.

CURATOR: Guan Wei ASSISTANT CURATOR: Xian (Angela) Xu

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FOREWORD When China opened to the world in the late 1980s, a large group of artists came to Australia from China. They have since made tremendous contributions to the contemporary art scene in Australia through their unique integration of Chinese and Australian cultures, traditions and experiences.

Now across the continent, art exhibitions featuring Chinese Australian artists may be found at any one time.

With many well-established first generation Chinese Australian artists creating new artworks, it is very exciting to see that younger artists of Chinese heritage who have grown up in Australia are also thriving in their creative practice. They are particularly known for embracing their mixed cultural identities and exploring a wide range of artistic expressions.

This art exhibition, Precious Treasures, features a fantastic combination of first and subsequent generations of Chinese Australian artists, and showcases a diverse range of artworks using different mediums, from paintings and installations, to sculptures and videos. The selection of artworks specifically caters for the iconic Incinerator Art Space, originally designed

by Walter Burley-Griffin (1876-1937). This incineratorconverted art gallery is something of an Aladdin’s Cave filled with precious treasures created by these artists. We invite you to discover and experience these treasures first-hand.

The exhibition is curated by Guan Wei, an internationallyrenowned Chinese Australian artist who first came to Australia in 1989 for an art residency at the University of Tasmania. He has since become one of the most successful and celebrated artists in Australia and internationally.

At the exhibition, Guan Wei reveals one of his latest works, a video entitled The Metamorphosis, based on his 2015 selfportrait Plastic Surgery. Other established artists featured in this exhibition include Justin Qian with his work Glittering

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Stars, comprising 12 sculptures made of Australian marble to represent human resilience; Amy Fu, who brings to the foreground her innovative installation of a transparent ancient Chinese book; and Xifa Yang, whose painting series Capital Theory is inspired by his deep reflections on ancient coins.

In amongst the established artists are two exceptionally gifted and expressive young talents, Jason Phu and Louise Zhang.

Born in Sydney in 1989, Jason Phu is a multi-disciplinary artist who imbues his distinctive art styles with sarcasm and humour to explore experiences of cultural dislocation. Louise Zhang, born in Sydney in 1991, also a multi-disciplinary artist, is recognised for her brightly coloured artwork in various forms to navigate the sense of horror and inspire conflicting responses through visual, emotional and intellectual stimuli.

Precious Treasures is presented by Willoughby City Council to celebrate the arrival of the 2021 Lunar New Year and is organised by the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University. The exhibition also celebrates the great work of the Chinese Australian artists mentioned above. I wish Precious Treasures every success.

Happy the Year of the Ox!

DR GEOFF RABY AO Ambassador to China (2007 – 2011) Chair of Advisory Board, Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University

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Exhibiting Artists

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富 中 清

Artist photo courtesy of C.G. Jiang.

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A m y Fu

Amy Fu graduated from East China Normal University in Shanghai and furthered her art education in Australia after she migrated in 1989.

She has worked as an art designer in Shanghai and Australia. She was the Director of the Australian Oriental Artists Association and organised several group exhibitions in Australia.

She also organised and participated in an exhibition of Australian artists in Shanghai. She curated and exhibited in the Contemporary Chinese-Australian Art Exhibition in Chinalink Gallery and exhibited in Profound ChineseAustralian Artists in Melbourne. In 2020 she was an exhibiting artist in Pulse of the Dragon at Casula Powerhouse Museum.

Amy Fu’s artwork is highly regarded for its exploration of individuals’ inner experiences and the surrounding world.

Her art style has shifted from paintings to modern art installations. She devotes her artistic creation to raising the public awareness of global issues through symbols and materials used in her artwork. Her installation work has been featured in various newspapers and magazines such as The Sydney Morning Herald, Art & Australia, Vogue Living Magazine and major newspapers in China.

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THE SPINE OF DRAGON 2019-2020 Mirror, plexiglass, neon, color pencil, fishing line 555cm x 120cm This installation symbolises transparent ancient Chinese book. It shows that Chinese calligraphy progressed along with the development of Chinese civilisation and has a long history.

Calligraphy as a kind of art has deep mystery, but also has a strong personality and can also be regarded as the soul of Chinese art. Each neon in the book is a detached stroke of the word ‘dragon’, symbolising the spine of the dragon. The “?” symbol in the last book is a reminder of how Chinese calligraphy developed in today’s networked era. It allows everyone to look at the reflection of the mirror in the book and ponder about where our future should go.

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THE PRICE OF WAR 2012 Neon, plastic mannequin, bandage 1m x 2.5m x 1m 3.

THE BRILLIANCE OF THE DRAGON REFLECTION 2011 Neon, rivets, mirror, plexiglass, carton 6m x 3m x 1m

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Photo courtesy of Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and photographer Chantel Bann.

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Photo courtesy of Sheng Tong.

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Exhibiting Artists

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关 伟

G u a n We i

Guan Wei graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Beijing Capital University in 1986. From 1989 to1992, he completed art residencies at the University of Tasmania, Australian National University and Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. In1993, he immigrated to Australia. In 2008, Guan Wei set up a studio in Beijing. He now lives and works in Beijing and Sydney.

Guan Wei has held more then 70 solo exhibitions in Australia and internationally, and has been included in many important international contemporary exhibitions, such as the Shanghai Biennial, China; the 10th Havana Biennial, Cuba; the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Australia; the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Australia; the Osaka Triennial, Japan; and the Gwangju Biennial, South Korea. He has been awarded in many art competitions, including: 2002 Sulman Prize at Art Gallery of NSW; 2015 Arthur Guy Memorial Prize, and Bendigo Art Gallery in Victoria.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2019 Guan Wei MCA Collection Show, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney

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Curator & Artist

2017 Cosmotheoria, White Box Art Center, 798 Art District, Beijing 2011 Spellbound, He Xiang Ning Art Museum, Shenzhen 2006 Other Histories: Guan Wei’s Fable for a Contemporary World, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney 1999 Nesting, or Art of Idleness, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Guan Wei’s work has a profoundly felt, if implicitly ironic, moral dimension.

In their complex symbolic form, his subjects potently embody current social and environmental dilemmas. They are equally the product of his rich cultural repertory of symbols and his informed socio-political awareness and arthistorical knowledge.

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THE METAMORPHOSIS 2020 Video “In 2015 I did a self-portrait entitled Plastic Surgery. Five years later, I completed a video work based on this painting and named it The Metamorphosis.”

The painting Plastic Surgery has four panels. The first panel is about my Chinese identity, the second and third panels are about my plastic surgery process and the fourth panel is about my Australian identity. The Metamorphosis video work has turned a painting into animation.

In this animation video work, the reason and effect are spread out on one screen.

The balance is maintained alternately through synthesis and dissolution. With the background music and breathing of a man, the animation better embodies the identity change. From static to dynamic, this work is trying to explore a new portrait art expression.

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YIN YANG 0.1. 2020 Acrylic on canvas 101cm x 108cm x 4cm

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Exhibiting Artists

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符 子 龙

J a s o n D. P h u

Jason D. Phu grew up in Croydon Park, Sydney. He is a prolific artist, known for his distinctive, humorous style.

His multi-disciplinary practice brings together a wide range of, sometimes contradictory, references from traditional ink paintings to street art, everyday vernacular to official records, personal narratives to historical events.

Working across installation, painting and performance, Jason frequently uses humour as a device to explore experiences of cultural dislocation. He often uses the stories of ghosts, spirits, demons and gods in Chinese culture as a personification of these concepts.

Jason won the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2015 and was a finalist twice in Archibald Prize for his portrait of curator Glenn Barkley and for his portrait of gallerist Evan Hughes.

Artist photo by Hayley Millar-Baker.

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Recently he has shown in the Dobell Drawing Biennial 2018 at the Art Gallery of NSW, The Burrangong Affray at the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Primavera 2018 at the Museum of Contemporary Art and in 2019 became the first visual artist to be commissioned by the Sydney Opera House (with Arrow Collective) to create new work for its Antidote festival. Jason is represented

by Station Gallery (Melbourne) and Chalk Horse (Sydney).

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YOU ARE A NOB 2020 Mixed media sculpture Dimensions variable Art installation - a Chinese Zodiac animal hanging from the rig that incinerator has above the steel door space. It will be hung with fishing wire.

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“I PRAY AT THE ASHES OF MY GRANDMOTHER AND AT THE PHOTO OF MY GRANDFATHER WHO I’VE NEVER MET.” 2016 Mixed media sculpture Dimensions variable 3.

“WHERE DOES LOVE COME FROM? IT COMES FROM YOUR GUTS.” 2017 Mixed media sculpture Dimensions variable

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Exhibiting Artists

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钱 建 华

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Justin (Jianhua) Qian

Justin (Jianhua) Qian graduated from Nanjing University of the Arts and taught sculpture at a university in Suzhou. He first came to Australia in 1991 as a visiting scholar. He now lives in Sydney and continues his practice as an artist.

His sculptures have won many prizes.

He was the finalist for the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2006 and the finalist for the Blake Prize in 2007.

He won the first prize for his scriptures at the Blacktown Arts Exhibitions in 2004 and 2006. Justin Qian also exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea in 2007 and 2008. He was commissioned by the City of Sydney to design the Horse Lantern that was displayed at the Chinese New Year Festival in Circular Quay in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He also created the Pig Lantern in for the celebration of the Year of the Pig Sydney in 2019.

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GLITTERING STARS 2020 Australian marble stones 80cm x 300cm x 200cm These marble stones from Australia are carved into twelve sculptures. When they are laid out on the ground, these sculptures will look like gem stones that glow in sunny or cloudy weather. They represent people living on this land, who are resilient, tough and beautiful.

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BUM (front) 2020 Red gum tree 60cm x 55cm x 30cm BUM (back) 2020 Red gum tree 82cm x 60cm x 45cm

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Exhibiting Artists

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张 露 茜

Louise Zhang

Louise Zhang (b.1991) is a ChineseAustralian multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture and installation. Zhang explores the dynamics of aesthetics, contrasting the attractive and repulsive in order to navigate the senses of fear, anxiety and a sense of otherness reflecting her identity. Her work is inspired by horror cinema, Chinese mythology and botany, adopting and placing symbols and motifs in compositions of harmonic dissonance. Zhang is currently showing at the National Gallery of Victoria.

She is represented by Artereal Gallery (Sydney).

Zhang fuses elements founded in horror, inspired by her Western education, and mythology, from her Chinese heritage to create an installation that reflects on the year 2021 as its own attractive horror film.

Artist photo by Zan Wimberley.

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SCHOLAR MOUND (LATTICE) STUDY 2019 Foam clay, wood, flatpack pearls 166cm x 50cm x 41cm 2.

FEED YOU PINK #1 2018 Polyurethane, resin, spray paint, acrylic paint, foam clay 49cm x 46cm x 43cm 3.

THE DEVILS CRAYONS #10 2018 Polyurethane, resin, spray paint, acrylic paint, foam clay 18cm x 50cm x 28cm

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Photo by Silversalt.

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Photo by Felicity Jenkins.

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Photo by Felicity Jenkins.

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Exhibiting Artists

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杨 熹 发

X i f a Ya n g

Xifa Yang was born in Tianjin, China. He received his Bachelor in fine arts from Tianjin College of Fine Arts in 1989 and in 1998 he received his Masters’ degree from Tianjin University. In 2010, he was awarded a PhD degree from Nankai University. He is a professor of oriental art at Nankai University, and a member of Chinese Artists Association in China.

His publications include Chinese Contemporary Ink Artists , Study of Influential Artists in the 21st Century and Representation and Aesthetic Features of Nudity in Chinese Art, published by Tianjin People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.

Since 1998, Yang has been living and working in Australia and China. He has had solo and group exhibitions in China, Australia and Japan. His latest exhibitions include group exhibition Pulse of the Dragon at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in 2020, Xifa Yang Exhibition at Live in Art Gallery, Sydney, Paper & Ink Language at Nanjing Ink Art Biennial 2019 in China and Capital Theory series at Exclamation Art Space Gallery in Beijing 798, China.

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CAPITAL THEORY SERIES #6 2020 Mixed Media 102cm x 56cm This series has a focus on reflections drawn from and through ancient coins. If we look through the history of civilisation, we can see that among all the things created by human beings, “coins” are the only item that transcends race, culture, religion, politics, military and economic systems and it is also the universal love of mankind. “Coins” represent the source of happiness for people around the world, ancient and contemporary, as well as the source of evil. In the world that is full of conflicts and antagonism, it is worth observing the universal attitude towards “coins”. “Coins” are not only closely linked to life necessities, but also associated with the spiritual world.

This series, through the exploration of in-depth meaning of “coins”, intends to reveal the human longing to break free from material restraints and achieve the freedom of soul.

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CAPITAL THEORY SERIES #7 2020 Mixed Media 183cm x 92cm

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徐 娴

韩 静 18

Assistant Curator

Angela Xu graduated from Communication University of China. She also received a Master in Directing from the Central Academy of Drama, Beijing and a Master of Cross-Cultural Relations from Western Sydney University. She is a PhD candidate in Visual Communication and Curatorial Studies at China Academy of Art, Hangzhou.

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Xian (Angela) Xu

Angela Xu is committed to immersive arts practising, art intervention projects, Australia-China cultural relations, performance and imaging studies.

Jing Han Producer

Professor Jing Han is the Director of Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture (ACIAC) at Western Sydney University. Prior to that, she was the Chief Subtitler and Head of SBS Subtitling. She received her PhD in

English literature from the University of Sydney in 1995. ACIAC is committed to engaging Australian communities in celebrating artistic and cultural diversities.

LUNAR NORTH CONFLUENCE Precious Treasures is part of Lunar North Confluence; exhibitions celebrating Lunar New Year on the North Shore. Visit more exhibitions that are part of Lunar North Confluence at the following participating galleries.

Resonant Flows C i n d y Yu e n - Z h e C h e n 3 - 28 February Art Space on the Concourse Presented by Willoughby Council and Chatswood Year of the Ox Festival.

409 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood (next to Box Office) www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/arts Image: Cindy Yuen-Zhe Chen, Sonic Ink Vibrations: Tidal 4, 2021, ink on Wenzhou paper

Pandemic Bodies Fan Dongwang 10 February - 31 March Maquarie University Art Gallery Supported by 2020 COVID-19 Response Funding from: Create NSW, Australia Council of the Arts and National Association of Visual Arts.

The Chancellery, 19 Eastern Road, Macquarie University artgallery.mq.edu.au Fan Dongwang, Pandemic Body, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 46 cm

Glass Armors NC Qin 3 - 27 February Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios Upper Level, 164 Longueville Road, Lane Cove www.gallerylanecove.com.au Image: NC Qin, Head Case, 2019, cast crystal glass.

Photography by Felix Esteban

For enquiries, contact Cassandra Hard-Lawrie, Curator and Visual Arts Coordinator, Willoughby City Council 9777 7972, Cassandra.Hard-Lawrie@Willoughby.nsw.gov.au

Exhibiting Artists

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宝•藏 Precious Treasures

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4 – 28 February 2021 Incinerator Art Space