Chinese focus for Gallery’s new shows

CHINESE art and culture will be spot lit by Bendigo Art Gallery from August.

Two exhibitions, Treasures of Dai Gum San, and In Our Time: Four decades of art from China and beyond, will be displayed until February 2023.

The first show will explore artistry, craftsmanship and design of Chinese people, and their works’ symbolism, delivered in partnership with the Golden Dragon Museum.

Museum artifacts from the Qing Dynasty, including processional items, silk-embroidery, paper art, metalwork, carved wood, and stone will be presented.

These pieces were collected following the arrival of Chinese miners in Bendigo, known as Dai Gum San or Big Gold Mountain, in the 19th century.

Golden Dragon Museum CEO Hugo Leschen said curators from his organisation and the Gallery have collaborated to see the collection through a fine art lens.

“While the Museum shares stories from a social history context, this exhibition is an exciting opportunity for us to tell a different story, and to look at these pieces as outstanding works of art,” he said.

Cantonese opera costumes, embellished chairs, a cloisonné urn, incense burners and more will be displayed.

Exhibition In Our Time will showcase 70 modern and contemporary items from the broader $2 million Chinese art collection of economist and diplomat Geoff Raby.

The full 174-piece collection is now in the care of La Trobe University, and the exhibition has been curated by the La Trobe Art Institute.

La Trobe University vice-chancellor Professor John Dewar said the Geoff Raby Collection a “significant” teaching and learning resource.

“[It complements] our strategic focus on Asia and China,” he said. “We are pleased that, through our longstanding partnership with Bendigo Art Gallery, the single largest cultural gift made to La Trobe University in its history will now be on display for all to enjoy.”

In Our Time will feature sculptures, ceramics, paintings and drawings, textiles, and photography, with themes of philosophy, culture, social justice, and human rights.

Bendigo Art Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said viewers of the exhibitions will gain a greater understanding of the Chinese identity by engaging with contrasting historic and contemporary creativity.