10 Chancery Lane Gallery is delighted to present new works by artist Guan Wei, entitled, “Longevity For Beginners.” Guan Wei’s new paintings and sculptures reflect deeply on traditional Asian philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine to emphasize their important roles in our lives today.
Using a myriad of imagery found in the arts of ancient Asian practices such as acupuncture, yoga, the five elements, qi gong, etc. combined with images of nature and the body’s organs as well as Chinese character writing Guan Wei invites the viewer to return to a balanced more natural way of living. As society becomes more and more obsessed with artificial means of beauty such as is done with cosmetic surgery along with other methods of making ourselves more youthful, balance is lost. The ancient philosophies of Asian medicine are focussed on finding the balance of our “qi” through different practices. Modern technology ignores this balance opting for superficial beauty that ignores internal harmony. Guan Wei’s highly stylized paintings often reference ancient Chinese imagery and man’s struggle to find his place within modern-day society. This series forces us to look to the past to find our future emphasizing that only through the balance of eating, exercising and spiritual meditations that both internal and external harmony can be found.
Guan Wei moved back to China in 2008 after spending 20 years in Australia as a successful artist. He explains, “From the blue skies, white clouds and the openness of Australia, I’m now back in China, a land which is old and mysterious, yet busy and full of life. The change in my surrounding environment gave rise to a different form of expression in my works. The point of view has shifted back to China. Apart from refreshment and delight, there is also a bit of uncertainty and unease. I hope that this series of works, ‘Longevity for Beginners’ can help its viewers to improve their spiritual balance and attain a healthy physical state.”
Guan Wei was born in Beijing in 1957 and graduated in Fine Arts from Beijing Capital University in 1986. He migrated to Australia in 1990 and moved back to China in 2008, he currently lives and works in Beijing. Guan Wei has been fascinated by narratives that connect China with the rest of the world. Guan Wei’s art is imbued with wit, humour and a social conscience. It is inspired by themes such as exploration, immigration, the plight of refugees, secret histories and cross-cultural understanding and now ancient Chinese philosophies. Guan Wei is a story-teller through imagery, his messages draw on the past and are combined with his unique style of characters and traditional Chinese symbols that are rich in meanings and symbols. As Nicholas Jose has said in his introduction for the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia exhibition, “Guan Wei’s fantastic cosmography has enabled him to engage with social and political issues lightly and lyrically, and to channel his inventive artistry into immediate and refreshing acts of communication.”
Guan Wei has shown in the Powerhouse Museum, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Liverpool Regional Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, Germany, the Queensland Art Gallery-Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, the Osaka Triennial and the Havana Biennial in Cuba to name a few.
Guan Wei's works are collected by the selected museums including: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, National Gallery of Victoria and Powerhouse Museum Sydney.
