Liu Xiao Xian’s exhibition at RMIT’s gallery titled “From East to West” portrayed a blending of Eastern and Western culture through the eyes of the artist. Upon entering the gallery, you see three very large faces peering down at you from the feature wall. The faces are of Mao, Buddha and an unknown Asian man. On the surrounding walls are A1 images of Asian families standing in front of iconic disseminations around the world such as Buckingham Palace and the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but directly behind them were tacky backdrops of Asian homes and scenery.
To the left of the exhibition was a long room that had continuous images of plates, also referred to as “china”, sitting on the ground outside an abandoned factory with grass and vines growing amongst them. This artwork symbolizes the fall of communism in China.
To the right of the exhibition is a large image of Jesus and a statue of Buddha, portraying them in their most common form, Jesus wearing a crown of thorns and Buddha who is at peace. So it’s from these initial observations the artist seems to be portraying how his move from communist China to the freedom of Western society has had two dramatic changes on the most powerful forces on the Earth, religion and the government.
One of Xian’s artworks which is titled “Game Set” is placed on a stand next to one of the images in the main area. The bottom of the artwork is almost like a target and placed carefully upon it are small sculptures of Australian and Chinese icons. In the red centre, which personally to me represents the Northern Territory and the history of Australia, there are a couple of Aboriginal figures facing a figure of the Queen, next to them are men in business suits. In the second circle, some more Aboriginal figures, Ned Kelly and another Jesus. These figures are all facing away from the central “leaders”, which suggests this was Xian’s view on how the leaders in Western society were viewed. The third circle was green, there were more Aboriginal and businessman figures on this layer, as well as a Victoria Bitter beer can, then there were figures of B1 and B2 from the children’s program “ Bananas in Pajamas”, the icon for the “Bonds Underwear” company and a jar of Vegemite. It contains figures of icons that are well known Australian products, which could be representing Australia’s main source of income. The 4th and final circle is blue which has more of the Australian icons as well as a few Lifesavers, which obviously represents the coastline.
I think this artwork suggests that at the core of democracy, civilians still turn their backs on the government and not trust or rely on them, but they still have the freedom to live as they wish, the artwork gets more inviting on the outside. Not just the artwork but the exhibition in general reflects the Xian’s view on how much freedom and space he has in Western society and how he has adapted from his move from China to Australia.
And whilst we are on the topic of adapting to foreign territory, you should have a look at an artist called Liu Bolin, who paints himself to blend in with his surroundings. Here is the link to see some of his work:
http://v1kram.posterous.com/liu-bolinthe-invisible-man
To the left of the exhibition was a long room that had continuous images of plates, also referred to as “china”, sitting on the ground outside an abandoned factory with grass and vines growing amongst them. This artwork symbolizes the fall of communism in China.
To the right of the exhibition is a large image of Jesus and a statue of Buddha, portraying them in their most common form, Jesus wearing a crown of thorns and Buddha who is at peace. So it’s from these initial observations the artist seems to be portraying how his move from communist China to the freedom of Western society has had two dramatic changes on the most powerful forces on the Earth, religion and the government.
One of Xian’s artworks which is titled “Game Set” is placed on a stand next to one of the images in the main area. The bottom of the artwork is almost like a target and placed carefully upon it are small sculptures of Australian and Chinese icons. In the red centre, which personally to me represents the Northern Territory and the history of Australia, there are a couple of Aboriginal figures facing a figure of the Queen, next to them are men in business suits. In the second circle, some more Aboriginal figures, Ned Kelly and another Jesus. These figures are all facing away from the central “leaders”, which suggests this was Xian’s view on how the leaders in Western society were viewed. The third circle was green, there were more Aboriginal and businessman figures on this layer, as well as a Victoria Bitter beer can, then there were figures of B1 and B2 from the children’s program “ Bananas in Pajamas”, the icon for the “Bonds Underwear” company and a jar of Vegemite. It contains figures of icons that are well known Australian products, which could be representing Australia’s main source of income. The 4th and final circle is blue which has more of the Australian icons as well as a few Lifesavers, which obviously represents the coastline.
I think this artwork suggests that at the core of democracy, civilians still turn their backs on the government and not trust or rely on them, but they still have the freedom to live as they wish, the artwork gets more inviting on the outside. Not just the artwork but the exhibition in general reflects the Xian’s view on how much freedom and space he has in Western society and how he has adapted from his move from China to Australia.
And whilst we are on the topic of adapting to foreign territory, you should have a look at an artist called Liu Bolin, who paints himself to blend in with his surroundings. Here is the link to see some of his work:
http://v1kram.posterous.com/liu-bolinthe-invisible-man
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