Guan Wei, No Chinese Whispers, 2023. Acrylic on canvas, 162 x 254cm (overall). Courtesy: the artist and ARC ONE Gallery, Melbourne.

In his new paintings, Guan Wei conjures a realm of speculative time-travel, drawing inspiration from the dynamic nature of the digital age. According to Guan Wei, our world is in a state of dissolution, which allows us to “enter the past, present and future arbitrarily on the time axis where multiple time-spaces can coexist”. Fluidity of Time and Space imagines multiple “folded” scenes where history is artificially compressed, gathering moments from different points in time as if they were flowers in a single bouquet.

For many years, Guan Wei has been exploring the motif of an impossible courtyard. As we step inside its walls, the inhabitants, seemingly engaged in mysterious courtship rituals, stop dead in their tracks. Beyond a slender archway, we catch a glimpse of temporal glitch—UFOs and angels lingering just beyond our reach. To emphasise the theme of permanence and impermanence, Guan Wei incorporates a Gongshi (供石), a Scholar’s Rock, in nearly every painting. Discreetly placed behind a wall or under a plant, these gnarled stones serve as silent witnesses to the passage of time. Within his courtyard, Guan Wei creates a space where a contemporary audience can visualise the compression of our social and political experiences.

Opening Event: Wednesday 25 October, 6 – 8pm.

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