Heaven & Earth in Chinese Art
A reflection on the AGNSW exhibition
As part of the first ever collaboration between the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 153 artefacts were loaned to AGNSW.
This was my first foray into seriously looking at Chinese art, and I was lucky enough to be going in a group of friends that did have three Chinese people in it to help with some of the interpretation.
Upon entering the exhibition, you’re met with an interactive installation, transporting you to the edge of a humble lotus pond. Ambient crickets and a gentle breeze accompany a day to night transition while you stomp on the projected lotus pads to flush vibrant koi out from underneath. Standing inside the installation, it does truly feel like you’ve been transported — maybe not to a real water front, but at least to somewhere outside of reality. I didn’t notice this until after the exhibition, but this installation comes as part of the ‘Humanity’ section of the exhibition. I’m sure this is a detail the curator (Yin Cao) would appreciate being noticed, as it brings the exhibition full circle when you consider “Humanity” is actually the last segment of the exhibition.
“Like Feng Dayou’s painting, this interaction digital installation presents a lotus pond decorated with charming details. Here, viewers are invited to virtually…
