Reflective: Geoffrey Edwards with one of the Chinese artworks on display at Geelong Gallery.
GEELONG will host a contemporary Chinese art exhibition never before seen in Australia, according to the director of the city’s gallery.
Geoffrey Edwards said Geelong Gallery was the only Australian host of Reflections of the Soul – Chinese contemporary ink wash paintings.
Mr Edwards said Chinese ink wash art was itself rare in Australia before.
The Geelong exhibition would feature almost 40 pieces created in the traditional ink wash method, dating back to the Tang Dynasty from 618AD to 907AD.
Mr Edwards said each piece was specially selected for the exhibition to help celebrate 2011 as the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia.
The exhibition was “extremely exciting” for the region as an “unprecedented opportunity” to inspect works representing traditional Chinese art, he said.
“We’re certainly seeing a resurgence in popularity of variations on the ancient Chinese tradition both in China and abroad and this style of work is fast becoming a hot property on the international art market.
“The Geelong Gallery has worked very closely with the National Art Museum of China to bring this collection to Australia and we’ve been very fortunate to have two of the participating artists travel from China to assist with the installation of their works in the gallery.”
Mr Edwards said the exhibition featured nine contemporary artists exploring four specific themes including metropolitan life in China, the world of dreams and the relationship between Chinese opera and visual arts.
The collection included some pieces spanning the width and height of the gallery space, he said.
“All embrace the sublime tradition of ink wash painting and strongly reflect aspects of Chinese culture but do so with a wonderful modern twist.”
Mr Edwards said Reflections of the Soul – Chinese contemporary ink wash painting would be on display until September 11, with admission free.
