Mural, 'Zheng He and Columbus' by Guan Wei
Object No. 2010/5/1
The name 'Shou Lao' originally comes from 'Lao Shou Xing'. In East Asia, the canopus was believed to be the Star of Longevity "Lao Shou Xing". It was believed that this star came down to the earth and became the God of Longevity, Shou Lao. The canopus or 'Star of Longevity' can be seen in the southern hemisphere and rarely appear in the northern hemisphere. It was believed that seeing this star was regarded auspicious and would bring longevity to the person. Also it was believed that appearing this star three or four times a year will bring a good fortune to the nation. Min-Jung Kim Curator, 2007
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Summary
Object Statement
Mural painting, 'Zheng He and Columbus', acrylic on medium density fibre board (MDF), painted by Guan Wei for the exhibition, 'Other histories:Guan Wei's fable for a contemporary world', Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2006-2007
Physical Description
Mural painting, 'Zheng He and Columbus', acrylic on medium density fibre board (MDF), painted by Guan Wei for the exhibition, 'Other histories:Guan Wei's fable for a contemporary world', Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2006-2007 A mural depicting a section of the globe and constellation against a black background. This mural was painted in two parts on medium density fibre (MDF) board and needs to be displayed together. Two expeditionary ships are at the centre, the small boat symbolising the ship of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) and the larger boat symbolising the ship of Zheng He (1371-1432). A hand and red arrow point to the left. The painting includes many human figures and a mysterious animal. This particular mural painting was displayed at the beginning of the exhibition as an introduction and shows discovery stories of Australia both by Zheng He(1371-1432) from the East and Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) from the West. It depicts constellations with a mysterious animal which allude to the Chinese percept of the connection between the Star of Longevity (Lao Shou Xing) and the Museum's object, the God of Longevity figurine (Shou Lao). In East Asia, the Canopus was believed to be the Star of Longevity. It was believed that this star came down to the earth and became the God of Longevity.
DIMENSIONS
Height
2000 mm
Width
3700 mm
Depth
18 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Guan Wei was born in Beijing in 1957 and graduated in Fine Arts from Beijing Capital University in 1986. He migrated to Australia in 1990 and currently lives and works in Sydney. Since his first visit, as artiest-in-residence at the Tasmanian School of Art in 1989, Guan Wei has been fascinated by narratives that connect China and Australia. Guan Wei's art is imbued with wit, humour and a social conscience. It is inspired by themes such as exploration, immigration, the plight of refugees, secret histories and cross-cultural understanding.
HISTORY
Notes
This was one of a series of mural paintings in an exhibition "Other histories: Guan Wei's fable for a contemporary world" held at the Powerhouse Museum from October 2006 to April 2007. Guan Wei's mural paintings were ephemeral and the walls were over-painted and returned to a state of nothingness after the exhibition. However, this particular work was saved as the wall ti was painted on was temporary and could removed from the gallery, and was donated to the museum by Guan Wei under the Cultural Gifts Program.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Guan Wei, 2010
Acquisition Date
25 February 2010
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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