Ah Xian began creating busts from live casting in the early 1990s. In his early series, such as ‘China China’, hand-painted cobalt motifs float freely across milky porcelain figures. Gradually, he felt drawn to other ancient materials — bronze, lacquer and jade — and, notably, worked on an ambitious scale in the delicate and painstaking…
Textiles have defined nationalities, facilitated cultural exchanges, and played a role in the rise and fall of empires, drawn from the QAGOMA Collection, the exhibition ‘I can spin skies’ at the Queensland Art Gallery focuses on a breadth of textile practices — and art influenced by textile production — from across the broader geography and…
Australian artist Ah Xian has been awarded the 2019 Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Medal in recognition of his enduring and impassioned contribution to the Gallery. We honour and celebrate the highly acclaimed artist and benefactor for his outstanding contribution to the QAGOMA Collection. His sustained and exceptional patronage places him among…
Continue reading » “Ah Xian: Accomplished artist & generous donor”
The Gallery holds 15 works from the 1991 ‘Heavy wounds’ series by Ah Xian, making it the largest public collection of his paintings. The series represents a formative moment for one of Australia’s most prominent artists, and marks an early stage in a career that would become one of the most poignant explorations of contemporary cross-cultural…
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.