Civilizations become richer and more colorful through exchanges and mutual learning. Co-hosted by China Cultural Centre in Sydney (CCC), China Academy of Art Australian Alumni Association, and CWM Galleries, The Time and Space Exhibition will be open to the public from 16 December 2021 to 14 January 2022, featuring 14 talented artists from China and Australia. 32 art works will be presented under the same theme of Time and Space, revealing the artists’ rethink of the world today and their pursuit of the inner strength.
Time is continuous and space has no boundaries. People’s perception in a specific space and moment makes time and space have an intersection. This exhibition focuses on contemporary art and connects with audience’s emotions by artworks with deep meaning. It not only showcases the cultural and artistic diversity of China and Australia, but also promotes mutual respect and understanding between the two peoples. We do hope that our Australian friends would enjoy and be inspired by this exhibition.
CCC is dedicated to the cooperation and exchange in the field of arts and culture between China and Australia. While introducing outstanding Chinese art and culture, we’ll keep promoting art dialogue between the two countries, providing a better communication platform for the artists, and enhancing friendship between the people of China and Australia.
I wish the exhibition a great success.
Messages
from the
Director
Preface
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” The opening lines of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities seem so apt at a time when the world struggles to come to terms with the global pandemic.
Great upheaval comes in cycles. And we’ve all felt the impact. Art has always reflected world events. From darkness comes light.
What inspires the artist? Inspiration can come from a moment in time. The past… the present…the future. It can be an impression of space – a room, a landscape, a city, a country, a notion of homeor culture. Or a corner of the mind.
Time and space.
Increasingly our spaces have become critical to us. We speak of the comforts of home, that safe space that shelters us from the elements, buffers us from the invisible menace that threatens us all.
For some, the focus of their space has turned inwards. Others look outwards with hope to celebrate the beauty of their natural surroundings. They elicit stories that spring from their imagination, depictions of glorious landscapes and scenes. Optimistic explosions of colour.
Time is now. Or yesterday or tomorrow. Memories of the past, the stark reality of today, masked up and fearful. Or an expression of freedom and recovery and the hope of what the future brings.
This exhibition brings together artists from Australia and China in a powerful cross-cultural exchange, exploring the theme of Time & Space through photography, painting, sculpture, mixed media, watercolour and ink on paper. Each artist expresses their moment in time and the space they inhabit.
Claudia Chan Shaw
Designer, author, broadcaster
Artists
Messages from Mr. Chris May
I am very pleased to write an introduction to this exhibition of Contemporary Art featuring artists from both China and Australia. Time and Space is always changing.
The ‘art world’ has always been a source of controversy and in 1973, both time and space collided in Australian Society engaging not only the ‘art world’ but the general public. The Government of the day acquired the painting titled “Blue Poles”, (by Jackson Pollock), for the sum of $1.3 Million with the use of taxpayer’s money.
The purchase elicited a great deal of public discussion; according to art historian Patrick McCaughey, “never had such a picture moved and disturbed the Australian public”. The debate centred on the painting’s record selling price, at the time a world record for a contemporary American painting.
Debate over the relative value of the painting erupted, and the purchase created a political and media scandal.
Talkback Radio had only become legal in 1967 and it had a field day and all forms of media joined in.
The general public lined up to see the painting, many visiting a gallery for the first time. Suddenly very large numbers of the general public were exposed to the ‘art world’ and realised it was also for them, and they no longer avoided galleries generally, they found the time to visit galleries in many spaces across Australia.
The year 1973 was also a watershed in Australia with the White Australia Immigration Policy definitively renounced and a policy of multiculturalism was adopted in this year.
With the high level of migration and the multi-ethnic nature of Australia’s population there are many diverse influences on all aspects of Australian society, including art. The Australian population now comes from almost 200 Countries and Chinese migration is a major source of new Australian residents.
Chris May
Owner, CWM Galleries
Gallery
