Chinese contemporary art in Australia




CHINESE
CONTEMPORARY
ART
IN
 AUSTRALIA
 Camila
Téllez

 Macquarie
University

 June
2009
 Master
of
Museum
Studies


CHINESE – AUSTRALIAN ART, TO WHAT EXTEND IS CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART PRODUCE IN AUSTRALIA CONSIDER AS AUSTRALIAN ART?

INTRODUCTION Contemporary art is full of observations, and contradictions. Contemporary art is a way to express emotions, feelings or even concepts; one can think on conceptual artists such as Joseph Kosuth and his piece “One and three chairs “ (Harrison & Wood, 2003) as a perfect example to understand the process of observation and expressing ideas. Consequently is possible to think that contemporary art has different faces depending on where it comes from. For instance, on the one hand Latin American art is considered as marginalized art, is the art that denounces corruption and the lack of freedom and equality in its society; a good example of it is Cildo Meireles’ art piece “Cocacola Project”. While, on the other hand American art is consider as the foundations of postmodern art itself, therefore it can be express with luxury and eccentricity, a proper example of it is “Puppy” by Jeff Koons. This same story is repeated with Chinese and Australian Art. While Australian art is considered as a product of the dominance of white aesthetics (Wang, 2000), therefore it has the same privileges as European Art, Asian art or to be more specific Chinese contemporary art is consider as the OTHER art, as the art that

belongs to the diaspora.

But the art of the diaspora shares

common interests no matter in which country is originated or produced; artists such as Guan Wei, Yue Minjun, Zhou Xiaoping, and Fan dong Wang, have become icons of what Chinese contemporary art represent in Australia. This essay analyzes Chinese contemporary art in Australia focusing on the cultural significance of multiculturalism and the performance of Chinese – Australian art in the contemporary market. The first segment of this essay will concentrate on Australia’s

interest

in

Chinese

contemporary

art

and

its

repercussions in the cultural relationships between these two countries, taking as an example the Triennial of Asian Pacific contemporary art and In & Out: Contemporary Chinese Art from China and Australia. The second segment will examine how Chinese contemporary art is understood in Australia through the experiences of Chinese Australian artists, Guan Wei, and Fan Dongwang. And finally the third segment focuses on Collecting Chinese contemporary art in Australia, The China project on the Queensland Art Gallery.

- AUSTRALIA’S MAIN INTEREST IN CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART Is it possible, that Australia has a particular interest in Chinese contemporary art? Is it likely to find a significant appeal in Chinese art only, or is it more a general interest of Australia in Asian art multiculturalism and its exoticism? It is difficult to separate one from the other, since China represents in Australia more than 50% of the Asian population on the cultural level, as it is in the economical one. What it is evident is that Australia has shown a deep interest in Asian art, particularly in Chinese contemporary art and its representatives. The establishment of cultural spaces such as the Asialink program sponsored by the Myer foundation and the university of Melbourne, the Asia-Australia Arts Centre in Sydney, and The Asia – Pacific triennial of contemporary art, or even the celebration of the

Chinese

New

Year,

count

as

part

of

the

different

demonstrations of interest that Australia has shown towards Chinese culture. Yet, there is a need to clarify if the main reason of this deep concern lies on commercial basis or on cultural ones. As Aaron Seto said “the entire modern history of Australia is intertwine to China through economic and cultural awareness” (2009). Therefore is important to acknowledge the fact that Australia has been sharing its history with China since the 1750’s before the days of the British settlements (Chinese Museum). From this period onwards the relationship between these two countries have had different moments: while some of them have been difficult like the severe anti Chinese legislation impose during the late 1850’s by the Australian government, there have been others, such as

the antiracial policy that was implemented during the late 1970’s by the Hawke’s government in which some of the Chinese refugees came to Australia with student visas, have prove that Australia is willing to be part of the multicultural discussion. To understand the multicultural discussion that is taking place in Australia is vital to quote two major migration events from Chinese to Australia. Thus it can be said that these events have mark a departure point for the integration of Australia with the Asian culture, or as Ien Ang called it the “Asianisation of Australia”. The first one is the Cultural Revolution during the late 1960’s and 1970’s, and the second one is the incidents of the Tiananmen Square during 1989 (2000). Have taking these episodes of Australia and Chinese history into account, allows the framework in which the Triennial of Asian Pacific Contemporary Art and the exhibition In & Out: Contemporary Chinese Art from China and Australia took place, to become clearer. As Doug Hall stated: “It is self-evident to suggest that the Triennials have played an important role not only in expanding a contemporary cross-Asian and Pacific dialogue, but also in giving such diverse artistic practice a greater critical profile beyond the region. The Triennials have also altered suspicious minds: those who appeared to suggest that an international voice was the privilege of the west now recognize the importance and value of contemporary Asian and Pacific art, and the inevitability of its becoming an inseparable part of an international cultural engagement. In reality this should surprise no-one, when it is acknowledged that for over two decades Australian Aboriginal art has been, more often

than not, Australia’s international artistic masthead”. (1999, p. 19) What the Asia – Pacific Triennial of contemporary art evidences, particularly the third edition, is that Australia has been part of the peripheral western cultures as Hall said it, and as a result of it, the concept of otherness in Australia, is no longer applied to Asian art only but also to Australian art. Although the third edition of the triennial had more to do with the experiences that the artist have gone through than with the idea of the diaspora, it is clearly manifest the current dialogue that Australia is having with the diasporas that have been settle in its land. Furthermore, the In & Out: Contemporary Chinese Art from China and Australia exhibition, illustrates how Australia has been searching for a way to clarify its multicultural identity as European heirs as well as an Asian neighbor. This notion of identity is explain by Richard Dunn: “Australia, as culturally European and geographically located on the edge of Asia, presents distinct and continuing contradictions. It is both inside and outside two broad cultural zones, seeking to participate in each, and wishing to be neither, to be something new as if it had always been”. (1997, p. 15) Subsequently what can be understood, is that Australia is starting to see itself represented as a cultural diaspora in which the Chinese community has a significant part. Therefore Chinese – Australian artists are shaping and rethinking the dialogue of having a double cultural identity in their works, as well as they are

considering the effects of being multicultural actors of a growing and developing nation. As Ien Ang claimed: Australian taste and cultural connoisseurship are also challenged and interrogated, and consequently, as has already become clear through the growing influence of indigenous cultural expression on mainstream Australian culture, notions of cultural difference and fracture are being inserted into a very core of Australiannes itself. (2000, p. xvii) As a result it can be concluded that Australia’s main interest on Chinese contemporary art, lies on the fact that what it was understood as the core identity of Australia is a concept that is no longer relevant, due to the disarticulation of Australia as part of the western culture; and as Aaron Seto said to me, “On the Australian context the awareness of multiculturalism within the domestic Australia has had a big influence on the way Australia perceived itself. (2009)”. But whether if the main interest of Australia in Chinese contemporary art has purely cultural aims over economical ones, is another on going discussion that needs to be widely research.

-HOW IS THE CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART UNDERSTOOD IN AUSTRALIA? In the previous chapter it was clearly stated that Chinese Contemporary art in Australia, acts as a key component in the process of understanding multiculturalism. The shifts on the way Australia thinks or perceives Chinese art have been notable, and now Chinese art is worth have of observation, researching and collecting. As Edmund Capon stated: “One of the more dramatic and intriguing phenomena of the ubiquitous world of contemporary art of the last two decades has been the emergence of China as a source of amazement

and

inspiration.

We

do,

generally

and

understandably, think of China and Chinese art in a more historical perspective and it has therefore come as something of a shock to witness this relatively sudden revelation of pent-up creativity and energy from the Middle Kingdom.” (Dysart, King, & Hanru, 2006) Therefore, is necessary to comprehend that Chinese art has two approaches in which the concept of contemporaneity exists. The first one is reserve for the western audiences, where the usage of the traditional symbols, practices and icons such as the dragon, and the calligraphy to name some, are representing China’s cultural side, “In order to integrate themselves with western curators and art dealers, Chinese artists began to produce in large quantities images that are either political or characteristic of folk traditions” (Zhuan, 1999). The second approach is related to the concept of chineseness, and how the notion of a Chinese

identity changed “from a national identity into an ethnic identity” (Wang, 2000, p. 108). In order to understand the concept of chineseness, the experiences of Chinese-Australian artists will be examined. Chinese Australian artists such as Guan Wei, who explores the cultural dialogues and the notion of multiculturalism in his works, and Fan Dongwang, who has a more traditional approach to the concept of chineseness but still focusese on the difference between the representation of perspective in eastern and western art, will be the centre of the chapter. Guan Wei first experience with a cultural dialogue was during the 1980’s, when China was going through a critical period due to the communist regime extreme measures that were repressing all types of cultural display. He began to use images that were part of the regime propaganda and transforming them into critical statements about the political situation. “He also deconstructed Chinese characters and rearranged official political slogans in order to express his anger and to protect himself against the purge of political dissidents.” (Wang, 2000). This practice led him to be an underground artist, showcasing his artworks in private places like the apartment of the then Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Beijing, Nicholas Jose. (Dysart, 2006) Wei came to Australia in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square incident as an artist –in-residence to the school of arts at the University of Tasmania, and in spite of his evident political position, the Australian audience was very receptive to his aesthetics and his

art.

Art

critics

saw

him

as

a

fascinating

encrypted

representation of Chinese culture. Since that moment he has

been in the spotlight of the Australian art scene, been represent by well-known galleries, and wining art prizes (Wang, 2000). As the artist said: “The longer I live in Australia the more involved I become… For some artists they would be doing the same things but I am very sensitive to the culture and the responsibilities to this land and these people.” (Dysart, 2006) The days after Tiananmen Square were difficult for Wei, been away from his comfort zone and his relatives did not make the Australian experience an easy one. But his enthusiasm towards the Australian culture led him to a number of exhibitions, in which the idea of multiculturalism was becoming more evident. As Sue– Anne Wallace stated: “Perception in Guan Wei’s hands never breaks with Asian roots, although it is tempered by western idioms.” (Dysart, 2006, p. 19) With the exhibition Mao Goes Pop: China Post 1989, Guan Wei’s journey to western art began. By that time, the recurrent inclusion of Australian elements in his works, such as animals and typical Australian landscape colours, made his art more western and internationally renown.

Before this exhibition, Wei was still too

attached to his Chinese roots. Then, after his visit to China back in 1994, Wei shifted his artistic attention towards the environmental discussions that were taking place in Australia, leaving some of the Chinese Political Pop and Cynical Realism themes behind without affecting his own Chinese imprint. By 1999, Guan Wei, the Chinese Australian artist was selected to be part of the Australian group that design the limited

print edition to commemorate the Sydney 2000 Olympic games. After the incidents with the 438 refugees, Wei change again his concerns, moving to the immigrant and human rights issues in Australia theme as he called it “Australian Political Time” (Dysart, 2006). Nowadays, Guan Wei is known as the Australian artist with the Chinese background. Therefore it can be said that the response of the Australian public has gone beyond expectations. Chinese contemporary art has been represent in several ways. Some artists chose Australia or the countries where they have migrated to, as their matter of survey. This can be seen in the previous paragraphs. Some others have chosen to work on purely aesthetic matters such as the perspective, the body, the colour; this is the case of Fan Dongwang. Fan Dongwang’s cross-cultural approach to western art is subtle and at the same time complex, he combines elements of western contemporary art with symbols of Chinese traditional art. As Anita Chang said in the foreword of the exhibition Enter the Dragon: “The complexity of Fan’s mind can be read through his paintings showing human body fragments penetrating tapestry-type

drawings;

wrestling

ideas

amongst

Confucianism, Maoism and Christianity; and human identity against mechanism.” (2009) Fan’s migration to Australia during the 1990’s had a deep influence in the way he presents his paintings now. He came to Australia as an English student in the first place, though after Tiananmen Square his reasons became political; as he said to

Melissa Chiu “It was about the freedom of speech.” (Chiu, 2007, p. 198). Once he finished his language course, he decided to continue his art studies at the University of Wollongong and also at the College of Fine Arts of the University of New South Wales, where the main subject of discussion was the art of the body and the post-modernism. Being there (at the COFA) he was told to use his Chinese background as a source of inspiration (Chiu, 2007). Yet this was not his main interest, in fact when he came to Australia, his interests were focused towards the western ideas of art, he wanted to paint as the western artists where painting. After he finish his studies, it became evident that despite the fact that he was taught as a traditional Chinese artist, the strong references he was using in his artwork came from western concepts of art history and every day activities; as Rod Pattenden stated: “The works contain a multitude of references that have been collected from Renaissance art, computer images, children’s toys, popular media, Chinese traditional painting and carving.” (2005). The first demonstration of the Australian influences can be seen in the Descendant Bodies, and Shifting Perspectives and the Body series. In these series of paintings, the understanding of cultures converging through the body is manifested. The representation of the rugby players sharing a space with Saints and Mao’s Red Guards, using chiaroscuro, Chinese embroidery, and hybrid figures of human bodies and machines in the structure of the

paintings,

are

perfect

examples

of

the

impact

that

crossculturallity had on Fan Dongwang’s art. Through the eyes of this Australian artist born in China, as Fan likes to call himself, is clearly demonstrated that Australia’s art scene has been a welcoming environment for him and his art. With the help of public museums and universities galleries Fan Dongwang’s art has transformed in to a open a door for chineseness to become a strong element in the discussions that are taking place in Australia about Chinese contemporary art.

And as Fan

Dongwang said: “ I don’t want to draw just a pretty picture, I what a picture with meaning” (2009) In summary it can be said that the perception and understanding of Chinese contemporary art in Australia by Chinese-Australian artists have been positive ones for different reasons: Firstly, because the academic body has been a powerful support for Chinese Australian artists; places such as galleries and museums of various universities have been the hosts of several exhibitions resulting from artistic residencies. Secondly, because Australia has turn out to be a robust promoter of the engagement of the Asia – Pacific region as a place where multicultural discourses are been held and where the artist’s concerns have been taken into account.

-COLLECTING CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART: THE CHINA PROJECT ON THE QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY When it comes to collecting objects specially art objects, there is an intrinsic need of a person [collector] or an institution [museum or gallery] to posses objects that can communicate something that cannot be spoken in an explicit way (Camille & Rifkin, 2001), either because of the context in which it is produce, the genre it is referring to or simply because it is produce in a different or unknown language that is not familiar to the observer. Therefore is important to comprehend that the act of collecting is not only an urge to accumulate objects but it is also a necessity when it comes to transmit knowledge from one generation to the next one. As Melissa Chiu asserted: “(…) The best works frequently end up in museums collections, where they are preserved for posterity” (2008). These days art collecting has become a matter of economical status, as well as political power, rather than a matter of social awareness. Thus, it is relevant to consider cases such as the Sigg collection, where more than 1,200 art pieces of Chinese contemporary art are being held, and where the commitment and responsibility towards a social group is evident. As Uli Sigg contended: “For other collectors, he said, "there may be other standards, such as the so-called quality, intensity and energy of the work. But since my goal is to mirror the art production of China, for me the work has to document or say something really important about China." (Pollack, 2005) Although, collecting Chinese contemporary art has represent a challenge for collectors not only because its cultural significance,

but also because it has been prove that is reporting recordbreaking prices in the art market. Works from artists such as Yue Minjun and Zhang Huan have reported numbers of more than 4 million dollars in auctions houses (Johnson, 2007). Given this, what the Sigg Collection of contemporary art has demonstrate is that it is a cultural model to follow when it comes to preserving an on going artistic dialogue regarding a community. The complexity of the Sigg collection lies on the fact that it was created while Uli Sigg was working as the Swiss ambassador to China during the mid 1990’s (Chiu, 2008). The political and cultural climates in China during the 1980’s and the following period were complex and very delicate. Although the open-door policy was a window of opportunity for commercial and cultural liberalization, the surveillance eye of the government was always present. Artists were been banned from government museums everywhere; therefore showcasing their art works in places with public exposure was unthinkable. An exhibition, such as China Avant-Garde was close by the state police in two different times for

inadequate

performances

(Chiu,

2008).

However

the

intellectual curiosity of ambassador Sigg was an opportunity for Chinese culture to integrate its art with the western society without the state being a part of it. (Bories, 2005) In spite of the intensive work of the Swiss ambassador, the incidents of Tiananmen Square during June 4 1989 increased the repression towards artists and the censorship of all western source of information (Chiu, 2008, p. 24). This event contributed to increase the international attention that China was receiving, reaching all latitudes including Australia. Over the last two

decades, it can be said that the protests of Tiananmen Square have become a starting point for a closer relationship between Australia and China in all levels of cultural exchange. As Suhanya Raffel said: “The violent events of 1989 Tiananmen Square, which led to a rise number of Chinese people seeking to migrate to Australia, coincided with Australia’s increasing interest in the broader cultural make-up of its own society and its relationship with the cultures in the region. One important example of this interest was the creation in 1993 of the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) series at the Queensland Art Gallery.” (Raffel, 2009) Having take in to account the model of the Sigg Collection, it can be argued that the Queensland Art Gallery of contemporary art has taken this broad collection as an example to follow, having as a result the conception of a platform in which Asian Pacific artists of all backgrounds are merge in a single space. The Asia Pacific Triennial of contemporary art has become the core motor of the Queensland Art Gallery vast Chinese contemporary art collection, although many works have been commission by the gallery outside the framework of the APT. Almost two decades after the Triennial was open, The China Project is born, and the importance of this exhibition lies on the fact that The Queensland Art Gallery is the first public museum in Australia to acquire a large number of Chinese art pieces and turn it in to a valuable collection (Raffel, 2009). As it is stated in one of the footnotes of the catalogue of The China Project:

“The

Gallery

generously

achieved

shared

this

through

position a

through

network

of

advice

individuals

including Australian Sinologist as well as Chinese curators and artists, initially through the structure of the APT.” (Raffel, 2009, p. 23) The

achievements

of

the

Queensland

Art

Gallery

have

demonstrated that collecting Chinese contemporary in Australia is highly valuable, since it reflects the engagement with China. The China Project, and its exhibitions, Three Decades: The Contemporary Chinese Collection has been possible thanks to the commitment and adventurous spirit of Nicholas Jose and Claire Roberts among others, whom have become the main benefactors of this collection. The collection also presents a detail of key artists such as Zhang Xiaogang and William Yang, whose works have leave a imprint in the history of a certain time. Jose & Roberts were captivated by the intensity of Chinese contemporary art due to different reasons.

For Nicholas Jose,

who considers himself as a custodian more than a collector (Queensland Art Gallery, 2009, p. 26), collecting Chinese contemporary art, has reminded him of the experiences in China, whereas for Claire Roberts a senior curator, collecting Chinese contemporary art has happen more by an “accident” in her life. The majority of the paintings that belong to Roberts have been demonstrations of affection and friendship between fellow artists. Then, after analyzing The China Project, it can be concluded that the dedication and social commitment that the Queensland Art Gallery has show towards collecting Chinese contemporary art goes beyond of what it was expected. It has show that art

collecting is a valuable medium to preserve and understand culture, to create dialogues and bridges as well as it has perform as a central link in the Chinese – Australian cultural relationship. And as Aaron Seto said: “On some levels, Australia has been at the forefront of contemporary Chinese art, at least the collecting of it. So if you think of organizations like The Queensland Art Gallery and the APT, even though these are not China specific, that they are at least, or they did hope to generate a lot of discussion very early into the 1990’s about the raising influence of Asia generally and more specifically”. (2009)

CONCLUSIONS

As I said in the introduction of this paper, contemporary art is full of

observations

and

contradictions.

One

very

interesting

contradiction, I was able to find with this research, is the fact that Chinese contemporary art produce in Australia was not long ago considered as Chinese art with no relations what so ever with Australian culture. Now this misconception has been changing, and Australia is beginning to understand that as a multicultural country, the artistic production carried inside this lands is strongly related to its own context, even though it might have external (foreign) influences. All these changes have happened in the last decade, thanks to the huge effort of the Asian – Pacific region to become a strong unity such as the European one. Within the process of observation I went through, I can concluded in the first place that the impact of contemporary culture

manifestations

in

Australia,

especially

Chinese

contemporary art, has help to shift the perception that Australia had of itself, as a western culture geographically located in the eastern region. Now the discourses of otherness, multiculturalism and hybridization are taking place in Australia as primary concerns for cultural education and in the construction of its own identity, even though the label of Chinese art, will be maintain for many more generations. Secondly, Australia’s interests in Chinese contemporary art have expanded from being exclusively commercial due to its large value, to a mixture of cultural dialogues, political correctness, and

economical engagement, with an “ethnic” group (because it was not considered as a national culture) that set foot in Australian lands before the British colonization. Thirdly, Chinese contemporary art collections are becoming an important asset for Australian culture not only because it locates Australia as an international point of observation, but also because it gives an extra cultural significance to a culture that is still brand new.

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