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Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004)

Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China... Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art, 2017, vol. 17, no. 1, 33–53 https://doi.org/10.1080/14434318.2017.1333397 Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian’s Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004) Alex Burchmore* In 2003, Australia’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra commissioned a rising Australian contemporary artist, Ah Xian, to create a portrait of Dr John Yu, one of the country’s most celebrated paediatricians. Both the artist and the subject have contributed greatly to Australian society and culture, yet it was to a certain extent their Chinese heritage that brought them together. The resulting portrait – Dr John Yu (2004, Figure 1) – communicates this ‘Chineseness’ in three interconnected aspects: above all, it is a deeply personal portrayal of a Chinese-Australian by a contemporary Chinese-Australian artist; at the same time, its medium, as well as the manner and location in which it was created, evoke an association with the history of Chinese porcelain; finally, Ah Xian’s use of an iconic Chinese motif and the link that this creates with his other works suggests an added layer of cultural meaning. It is this third, cultural element that attains most significance, uniting with the personal and historical dimensions of meaning to communicate http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art Taylor & Francis

Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004)

Burchmore, Alex
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art , Volume 17 (1): 21 – Jan 2, 2017
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Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004)

Abstract

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art, 2017, vol. 17, no. 1, 33–53 https://doi.org/10.1080/14434318.2017.1333397 Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian’s Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004) Alex Burchmore* In 2003, Australia’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra commissioned a rising Australian contemporary artist, Ah Xian, to create a portrait of Dr John Yu, one of the country’s most celebrated...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2017 The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand, Inc
ISSN
2203-1871
eISSN
1443-4318
DOI
10.1080/14434318.2017.1333397
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art, 2017, vol. 17, no. 1, 33–53 https://doi.org/10.1080/14434318.2017.1333397 Negotiating ‘Chinese-Australian’ Identity: Ah Xian’s Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China Series (1998–2004) Alex Burchmore* In 2003, Australia’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra commissioned a rising Australian contemporary artist, Ah Xian, to create a portrait of Dr John Yu, one of the country’s most celebrated paediatricians. Both the artist and the subject have contributed greatly to Australian society and culture, yet it was to a certain extent their Chinese heritage that brought them together. The resulting portrait – Dr John Yu (2004, Figure 1) – communicates this ‘Chineseness’ in three interconnected aspects: above all, it is a deeply personal portrayal of a Chinese-Australian by a contemporary Chinese-Australian artist; at the same time, its medium, as well as the manner and location in which it was created, evoke an association with the history of Chinese porcelain; finally, Ah Xian’s use of an iconic Chinese motif and the link that this creates with his other works suggests an added layer of cultural meaning. It is this third, cultural element that attains most significance, uniting with the personal and historical dimensions of meaning to communicate

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jan 2, 2017

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