The China Project

13 Foundation and Michael Simcha Baevski have greatly helped develop the contemporary Asian collection. Professor Nicholas Jose and Dr Claire Roberts have been at the forefront of promoting contemporary Chinese art since the late 1970s. Through their generosity, the Gallery has been able to develop important holdings of rare works from the 1980s. These works reflect the creative drive of the avant-garde movement at the time and contribute to our understanding of the more familiar art of the 1990s and 2000s. Works gifted by the late Professor Hugh Dunn, ao , and Marney Dunn, and by Timothy North and Denise Cuthbert have also made important contributions to the Collection. Several highly regarded Chinese artists have provided substantial support to the Collection. Cai Guo-Qiang, Ai Weiwei, Ah Xian, Irene Chou, Ni Haifeng and Song Dong have all made significant donations of their art work. Their support is also a wonderful expression of confidence in the Collection and in the work of the Gallery. A number of artists have also supported the Gallery by undertaking commissions, and many of these have been spectacular, large-scale works presented through the APT exhibitions. For ‘The China Project’, Wang Qingsong has developed a new work, China Red 2008–09, for the Gallery of Modern Art’s vast Long Gallery. This latest example continues in the spirit of the many other artists who have created ambitious site-specific commissions for the Gallery. ‘Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul’ spans the same period as ‘Three Decades’, with works from the early 1980s being seen for the first time. The drawings and paintings from this period are precursors to the now iconic paintings from the ‘Bloodline’ series. The exhibition also includes recent photographic work and, new to Zhang’s practice, sculpture. We are most grateful to the artist, who has made the exhibition possible by generously giving the Gallery complete access to his collection. We also thank Daniel Droga for his early contact with Zhang, as well as co-curator Leng Lin, Zhang Xiaogang’s studio, and private lenders to the exhibition from New York, Beijing and Sydney. In ‘Life Lines’, William Yang enriches ‘The China Project’ by reflecting on his Chinese heritage as a third-generation Australian. This exhibition was conceived and developed specifically for the project and, through its focus on individual identity, family and memory, it complements the ‘Zhang Xiaogang’ and ‘Three Decades’ exhibitions. We are delighted to present these new works, and I thank Russell Storer, Curator, Contemporary Asian Art, who has worked closely with the artist to present the exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. Generous support for ‘The China Project’ has also been provided by the exhibition sponsor, Ausenco, and for this we are extremely grateful. In particular, I thank Ausenco’s Chairman, Wayne Goss, who was Chair of Trustees at the Gallery from 1999 until early 2008; and CEO, Zimi Meka. Finally, I thank the curator of ‘The China Project’, Suhanya Raffel, Curatorial Manager, Asian and Pacific Art, and the curatorial staff who’ve worked with her on this project, and on the development of the Collection and APT over more than a decade. Suhanya joined the Gallery in 1994 and has been influential in shaping the Collection’s development. A critical part of the work of the curatorial staff is building and maintaining relationships — with artists, other curators, writers and collectors. These relationships are essential foundations for ambitious and comprehensive projects like this, and for the continued growth of the Collection. Tony Ellwood Director Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art