Memory, Myth and Metaphor: China – Australia | 13 June – 25 July, 2024

Event Date: June 13, 2024 - 10:00 AM
Event End Date: July 25, 2024 - 10:00 AM
Location Map:

Location: China Cultural Centre (Sydney), Level 1, 151 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Dates: Every day, 10am to 5pm
Thursday 13 June to Thursday 25 July
Except Saturday 15 June,
Sunday 16 June,
Saturday 22 June,
Sunday 23 June,
Saturday 29 June,
Sunday 30 June,
Saturday 6 July,
Sunday 7 July,
Saturday 13 July,
Sunday 14 July,
Saturday 20 July and
Sunday 21 July

Cost: Free

The Australian Watercolour Institute and the China Cultural Centre in Sydney will collaborate to present the ‘Memory, Myth, and Metaphor: China – Australia’ exhibition, which will feature 40 excellent artworks by ten Australian Watercolour Institute members, including David Van Nunen OAM, Xidan Chen, Ian Grant, Guan Wei, Wendy Sharpe AM, Cheryl Che, Ginger Li, Neil Taylor, David Wang, and Sean Cassidy.

The show, curated by David Van Nunen OAM, president of the Australian Watercolour Institute, depicts the trade and mutual impact of Chinese and Australian painting art. The artworks of the ten painters contain Chinese art aspects, more or less, in each painting, resulting in a conversation between Chinese and Australian art.

“An exponent of the plein air landscape painting tradition for more than four decades, the central themes of my oeuvre are Sydney Harbour and its foreshores, Australia’s wilderness areas, national parks and botanic gardens. Invariably, my landscape subjects are informed by the vibrant palette and bold brushwork of European Fauvism.

“Recently, I have been exploring Chinese ink painting and calligraphic mark-making in relation to gestural, abstract Western brushwork, most notably in the series of works I executed in my tenure as artist-in-residence at the Himalayas Art Museum, Zhujiajiao, which culminated in a solo exhibition there. The tradition of Chinese painting has informed Western contemporary art to the same extent that Western contemporary art has transformed the tradition of Chinese painting. My avid reading of Chinese history and experience of that culture continue to inform my own art practice.” – David van Nunen OAM

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