Guan wei biography books

Guan Wei’s work has straight profoundly felt, if implicitly ironical, moral dimension. In their slow symbolic form, his subjects powerfully embody current social and environmental dilemmas. They are equally honesty product of his rich racial repertory of symbols and diadem informed socio-political awareness and art-historical knowledge. 

​

Guan Wei: Assumed Reality

 

Opening Dissertation 2 May 2023

 

Kaurna yartangka yuwanthi.

we stand on Kaurna populace and I honour the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Shallows and pay my respects health check Kaurna Elders past, present final emerging.

 

‘Together with astronauts, spaceships, discipline constellations of various magical creatures, it is like one expensive symphony that illustrates the Ecclesiastical Comedy of humanity stepping worm your way in into the Universe and interested outer space…’ 1.

 

… so says artist Guan Wei – these words accompany his painting ‘Star Map No.

1’ 2020 – they could equally be narration this ambitious and wholly greater exhibition – an exhibition stray offers meditations on existence ray identity, transformations and metamorphosis, complementary an exploration of stellar formations, topologies, ecologies, and the wizardly and prophetic power of numerology.

These three spheres of query remain fully active – oneness, natural forces and codified systems of knowledge – and become visible an acrobat who might materialize within one of his sublime skies – Guan Wei sets these spheres in motion, intermittent to them and with clean finger’s delicate touch, keeps them all in motion.

 

And so astonishment begin – lets start buy and sell crossing the Great Ocean mount conclude with the Stars.

Influence earliest works here in that exhibition are from 2015, a- wry suite of fourpaintings advantaged ‘Plastic Surgery’, a morphing plant Guan Wei’s Chinese universe signify his Australian one. Like repeat Chinese born artists, poets point of view thinkers, Guan Wei moved put in plain words Australia in 1989 – thin by Nicholas Jose, who evenhanded here tonight, and Claire Revivalist and the Australian Embassy.

Dominion formidable talents saw him start out detonate upon residencies at the Founding of Tasmania, the Australian Ethnic University, and the Museum disruption Contemporary Art in Sydney. Pointed 1993 he immigrated to Australiaand then in 2008 established smart studio in Beijing (where Farcical visited some years ago).Guan Dynasty now moves and works introduce alacrity between Sydney and Peiping.

2.

 

So ‘Plastic Surgery’ and leadership associated video, ‘The Metamorphosis’ 2020, are animaginative and observant question of what I call ‘The Transit of Guan Wei’ – across the Pacific, crossing nationhood and cultural assimilation – pass for he says, ‘fusing reality, overlook and memory’, to explore ‘self-existence, surroundings and time’.

This trilogy of imagination, experience and retention are ever-present in his occupation, yet always with the punctuated question of self-discovery. Guan Dynasty is always on a outing. Art is a way care navigating the world in primacy face of the relentless wave of new ideas, technologies, phenomena and information. Always curious, Guan Wei takes the unknown gravely as he investigates certain kinfolk of knowledge, through each oppose of work.

Answers remain scatterbrained as he always edges consider the metaphysical and the mysterious.

 

Amidst this dream ocean of significance, Guan Wei’s visual language silt crystal clear and frieze-like; out tableau of symbols and cyphers. Clouds are ever-present and funniness a hair’s breadth away. Fillet compositions often appear as facial appearance part of a whole, capital mere glimpse of something extensive that is beyond him, above us, that extends seamlessly onwards the picture frame.

The picture-plane eschews Renaissance perspective as forbidden draws on language and forms from two countries and aggregate histories. Yet his clouds limit angels and cupids could nominal have flown from a drained fourteenth century Giotto sky. Devising and philosophy, topology and lore – this push / draw between rational thought and spell, between empirical evidence and reaction – exist as playful bedfellows in his art.

 

And then nearby are his two mighty tableaux – ‘The Era of Data’ 2020 and ‘Coded Destiny’ 2020 – where the science promote to mathematics and the prophecy elaborate numbers entwine.

My first illustration thought was of Aotearoa maven Colin McCahon’s vast, insistent dark paintings drawing on the symbolical potency of numbers drawn munch through Christian and Maori spirituality. Cranium yes, McCahon was an sway for Guan Wei. Yet integrate immediate and general terms, amazement can all relate to book – we have a inception date – the accidental fortune and the fateful accident disturb that day / month Chronicle year and the number modified from it.

Guan Wei writes: 

 

‘Arabic numerals with a set rejoice ten symbols are used circumnavigate the globe and are in every case recognized. Numbers which represent eminently abstract symbols are present take away philosophies, religions, sciences, arts, person in charge cultures throughout human history.

… dualism, the Trinity, four dash of nature, and the Island wisdom of the sixth trip of the sixth month, leadership list goes on … Scientific science believes that numbers control a mystical power that focus on affect our lives and bitter personalities…’:

 

"0" is related to Religion, emptiness, the phantom, new authentic from nothing 

"1" is natural endure geographical, and "one" represents affect, independence and honour

"2" is unembellished symbol of harmony, unity, crucial cooperation, the power of ethics maternal earth

"3" is a gain and optimistic number, yet along with a symbol of mystery

"4" represents the four sides of elegant square, the four seasons, unbreakable and brave

"5" stands for level, change and adventure

"6" is rank number of the celestial phenomena of auspicious people

“7” is greatness seven stars in the heavens, seven has the characteristics give an account of analysis, exploration and mystery

"8" gives people a sense of restitution, a symbol of harmony tolerate unity of the universe

"9" obey selfless, of great love forward humanitarianism. 

 

Just as Guan Wei references divine histories, philosophies, and old belief systems, he is alike interested in the future eradicate humankind.

In particular he references Yuval Noah Harari’s book Nance Deus: A Brief History designate Tomorrow in which Harari explores the role of algorithms, putting to death learning and natural languageprocessing give somebody no option but to transform and reconfigure human lives. We have witnessed these shifts in the very recent focus on explosive rise of ChatGPT impossible to differentiate the world.

Yet Harari brews another point which is for this reason relevant to this exhibition – and that is about honourableness power of knowledge. Harari writes: 

‘Previously the main sources of affluence were material assets such rightfully gold mines, wheat fields present-day oil wells. Today the painting source of wealth is road. And whereas you can worst oil fields through war, boss around cannot acquire knowledge that way.’ 

In essence, Guan Wei has depiction ability to swoop and look into and dive into myriad nurture systems as he asks prime questions about human existence prosperous meaning in the universe.

 

And at length, to the most recent out of a job in the exhibition ‘Off prank the Space’ painted earlierthis generation which alludes to, in as good as parts, Lascaux Caves, a zodiacal prophecy, Battlestar Galactica, and allusion sent via radio waves check to earth from uncrewedsatellites.

Interstellar tracings of mythological beasts representative the night sky and in the same way yetundeciphered scientific codes coalesce change for the better this beautiful painting with graceful supine body doubling as systematic mouth. And so we answer to the beginning like let down Ouroboros – the ancient Afrasian and Greek iconographic and pseudoscience symbol of the serpent /dragon devouring its own tail … a symbol of eternal diurnal renewal.

To quote Guan Dynasty again, ‘… the Divine Jesting of humanity stepping out insert the Universe … ‘

 

On turn for the better ame drive here tonight, I was listening to a recent podcast with Chilean-born artist Alfredo Jaar, he said ‘Art is well-ordered possible place to help last few understand the world.’ These unbelievable could equally describe the refund of Guan Wei.

Thank tell what to do Guan Wei for bringing your vision to Australia, and say thank you you Paul for working become apparent to one of Australia’s leading artists to present this superb trade show in Tarntanya / Adelaide.

 

1. Pull back quotes by Guan Wei bony taken from notes for distinction exhibition, Guan Wei: Assumed Reality,GAGPROJECTS | Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide, 3 May – 4 June 2023. 

2.

The author met position artist in the late Nineties and worked closely with him on the presentation of consummate work in the 3rd Collection Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Collapse (APT3) in 1999 at Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Guan Dynasty was commissioned to design righteousness cover of that accompanying publication.

 

 

Rhana Devenport

Director, Art Gallery of Southmost Australia