The idea of “Chinese art” might call to mind Ming vases, calligraphy and possibly Maoist social realist paintings of heroic workers.
You are probably not thinking of robot chairs with clapping hands, hanging Gothic cathedrals made of leather, or an eight-metre-long cruise ship beached on the gallery floor.
These are just some of the spectacular works that will be on show for free at the HOTA (Home of the Arts) Gallery on the Gold Coast from April in This Moment, an exhibition of highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art in Sydney.
Announced during a week when a platoon of dancing robots startled the world with a martial arts demonstration on Chinese TV, This Moment will offer a glimpse into the technological and manufacturing might that has helped elevate Chinese artists on the world stage.
The White Rabbit Collection is owned by Australian philanthropist Dr Judith Neilson AM, whose charitable foundation aids public health in Africa as well as justice for women, girls and First Nations people in Australia.
Neilson, whose wealth is estimated at $1.23 billion, has displayed her collection to Sydney art fans at her purpose-built White Rabbit Gallery since 2009.
“For more than 25 years I have been travelling to China where I believe the most interesting art in the world is produced,” Neilson said in a statement.
“The amazing country is so vast, diverse, and hugely populated. It inspires so many artists and fuels such competition – resulting in the best to the worst and everything in between.”
HOTA Gallery curator Julie McLaren said the exhibition was “a huge coup” for the regional gallery and that works in the show would “smash preconceived ideas” about Chinese art.
“Artists working in China are referencing ancient traditions, but melding with new mediums to explore what it means to live in China today,” she said.
On entering the exhibition visitors would be confronted by an enormous work titled Deluge: Noah’s Ark by Peng Hung Chih, made from nearly 6000 pieces of 3D-printed plastic to form the twisted carcass of a half-cruise ship, half-whale.
“That’s the work that we really wanted to show on the Gold Coast because it speaks to global concerns about climate and weather patterns,” McLaren said, adding that she had experienced her first cyclone, Alfred, on the Gold Coast last year.
Another work, Chorus by Liu Chang, involves 12 chairs equipped with hands that eerily come to life and give a round of applause to visitors when they stand on a podium.
“A lot of artists are working with AI and computer technology, but also speaking about the concerns around these technologies and how they’re part of our lives,” McLaren said.
The show is far from a piece of “official” Chinese culture. Artists in China risk persecution, with arguably the nation’s top artist (now in exile), Ai Weiwei, repeatedly arrested and detained by authorities.
“Chinese artists are extremely brave. A lot of them don’t care whether they get put in jail,” Neilson recently told the Australian Financial Review.
McLaren said some works in This Moment take a critical look at power structures of the PRC as well as exploring universal issues.
“There are moments of beauty and delight, and of humour. Humour is especially important in the times we’re living in now, and really important in art.”
This Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art runs April 18 to October 11 at HOTA Gallery, Surfers Paradise, and admission is free.
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Nick Dent is a Culture Reporter at Brisbane Times, covering arts and things to do in the city.Connect via email.