Guan Wei (1957-…) is a Chinese-born painter and sculptor. He has spent much of his life in Australia. Guan is known for socially conscious, often humorous works that blend elements of Chinese and Western culture—particularly Australian culture. Many of his paintings combine classical Chinese images with European-style maps.
Popular themes in Guan’s work include immigration , refugees , and the environment. Guan also draws inspiration from mythology and legend . Many of his paintings feature rounded, stylized (not realistic) human figures journeying across maps, huddling in forests or refugee boats, or even playing on the beach. Real and mythical beasts fill the seas, which are covered in clouds and depictions of Buddha’s hand, all in classical Chinese style. Guan also creates painted ceramic vases and imaginative bronze sculptures featuring his stylized people.
Guan’s well-known painting series “Play on the Beach” (2014) pokes fun at the Australian national reputation for being easygoing. Many of Guan’s works deal with his own experiences as an Australian immigrant. Guan’s first large mural was titled Other Histories: Guan Wei’s Fable for a Contemporary World (2006). The painting, which shows Guan’s migration to Australia , was inspired by the historical voyage of the Chinese navigator Zheng He (1371-1432). Guan’s self-portrait, Plastic Surgery (2015), shows his Chinese features becoming more Western the longer he lives in Australia.
Guan was born in Beijing , China , in 1957. He grew up during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a period of radical cultural change in Chinese society. Guan shared his father’s interest in calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting, and his father introduced him to painters who taught him traditional techniques. Guan earned a fine arts degree from Beijing Capital University in 1986. He became a resident artist at the Tasmanian School of Art in Australia in 1989 and immigrated to Australia in 1990. He was one of many artists who left China for Australia following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 .
Guan has participated in many residencies, solo exhibitions, and other projects throughout the world. Guan was invited to create works for display during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. He then began splitting his time between Beijing and Sydney . He has created several public murals, including The Journey to Australia (2013) at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
