Fan Dongwang: Icons of Identity

Examine contemporary Chinese culture amid Australia’s syncretic national identity.
Jasmine Crittenden
Published on January 24, 2017

Overview

To usher in the Chinese New Year, artist Fan Dongwang is bringing you an exhibition bursting with colour, where traditional Chinese images meet Western icons. Titled Icons of Identity, the show is a celebration of multiculturalism in Australia. It's an exploration of the possibility of finding a common language through art.

"[The images and icons] are not only beautiful but also powerful symbols of nationhood," said Dongwang. "It is through these symbols that the past continues to have a bearing on the present as well as the future."

Dongwang moved to Sydney from China in 1990. By then, he was already a respected artist in his home country, have exhibited at Shanghai Art Gallery many times. Since then, he's completed a PhD at Wollongong Uni and held shows in galleries all over Australia, including the National Gallery.

Head to 541 Art Space on 3 February between 6pm and 8pm, to catch Icons of Identity's opening night.

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