Personal mythologies explores the role that fantasy and imagination play in our constructions of self and our relationships to place and history. This thematic group exhibition brings together sculpture, installation, textiles and painting by seven Australian and international artists whose work points towards diasporic, transcultural perspectives, forming new narratives. The artists address elements of folklore, mythology and storytelling in their work, complicating ideas of cultural translation and personal identity.
This exhibition has been developed to complement the forthcoming exhibition In our time: four decades of art from China and beyond — the Geoff Raby Collection co-presented with Bendigo Art Gallery.
Louise Zhang’s practice explores Chinese mythology – paintings, sculptures and scroll-like banners that incorporate demons, dismembered body parts and organs drawn from anatomy books – overlaid with illustrations of flowers, bones, scholar rocks and auspicious imagery presented in a sugary palette.
In her new paintings, commissioned by La Trobe Institute of Art, Zhang explores the presence of dragons in Chinese culture as symbols of strength, power, and authority. The works are inspired by the Loong, the oldest surviving imperial dragon in the world, which together with Sun Loong, is housed at the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo. The dragon can be thought of as a central point of healing for the community in Bendigo as its first appearance came in 1901, coinciding with the introduction of what became the “White Australia Policy”, forbidding non-western immigration to Australia. This point of healing within the community is significant as Chinese culture thrived in Bendigo, despite being clouded by anti-Chinese sentiment that stemmed from the 1850s gold rush.
With the healing of community comes the necessity of memory and growth, symbolised through the lotus and ginkgo tree. Traditionally, the ginkgo is an auspicious symbol of hope and peace, with their longevity and ability to overcome even the worst disasters, while also being used in Chinese medicine, reducing inflammation, and improving memory. The lotus is symbolic of enlightenment and clarity of mind, literally rising above muddy waters into the light. In time we rise from the turbulence of the past with a clear mind, growing from the rains and living beyond our own context.
This exhibition has been developed to complement the forthcoming exhibition In our time: four decades of art from China and beyond — the Geoff Raby Collection co-presented with Bendigo Art Gallery.
Louise Zhang’s practice explores Chinese mythology – paintings, sculptures and scroll-like banners that incorporate demons, dismembered body parts and organs drawn from anatomy books – overlaid with illustrations of flowers, bones, scholar rocks and auspicious imagery presented in a sugary palette.
In her new paintings, commissioned by La Trobe Institute of Art, Zhang explores the presence of dragons in Chinese culture as symbols of strength, power, and authority. The works are inspired by the Loong, the oldest surviving imperial dragon in the world, which together with Sun Loong, is housed at the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo. The dragon can be thought of as a central point of healing for the community in Bendigo as its first appearance came in 1901, coinciding with the introduction of what became the “White Australia Policy”, forbidding non-western immigration to Australia. This point of healing within the community is significant as Chinese culture thrived in Bendigo, despite being clouded by anti-Chinese sentiment that stemmed from the 1850s gold rush.
With the healing of community comes the necessity of memory and growth, symbolised through the lotus and ginkgo tree. Traditionally, the ginkgo is an auspicious symbol of hope and peace, with their longevity and ability to overcome even the worst disasters, while also being used in Chinese medicine, reducing inflammation, and improving memory. The lotus is symbolic of enlightenment and clarity of mind, literally rising above muddy waters into the light. In time we rise from the turbulence of the past with a clear mind, growing from the rains and living beyond our own context.
