Image: Yun Shouping (1633 – 1690) Album of Ten Landscapes

Bonhams Australia have consigned a rare Chinese album to be sold in the forthcoming Chinese Paintings sale in Hong Kong in April 2018. Discovered in a family’s home outside Geelong, Victoria, the album is estimated value is between HK$2.3M (372,000 AUD) to HK$3.3M (534,000 AUD)

Including ten leaves of landscapes painted in different styles, some ink and some colour, by Yun Shouping (1633 – 1690), the album survived the fall of imperial China in the 1910s, the Sino-Japanese war and civil war in China during the 1930s and 40s, the Cultural Revolution, and the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll in 1976. Despite this, the album remains in good condition and bears seals of famous collectors dated from the 19th century to the 20th century on all leaves of the album.

Sydney, Australia: The Biennale of Sydney has invited residents of New South Wales to an advance full-day preview of its 21st edition offering a first look at the work of 70 artists and artist collectives from around the world across six Biennale venues on Wednesday, 14 March 2018, before the exhibition officially opens on 16 March.

Residents who register to attend the free Sydney Preview event will be among the first to experience SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement curated by Artistic Director Mami Kataoka. They will have the opportunity to engage with visiting international and Australian artists through a free program of artist talks during extended hours at the following Biennale venues: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace, Carriageworks, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.

Image: Eija-Liisa Ahtila, POTENTIALITY FOR LOVE – MAHDOLLINEN RAKKAUS, 2018

Renowned contemporary artist Xia Hang has been commissioned to create a major new public art work for Sydney by TWT Property Group. Xia Hang’s Memory Tree commission will see the creation of a six-metre-high ‘tree’ out of intricate metal-work and kinetic-lighting in an Ultimo laneway in inner Sydney.

The Beijing-based Chinese artist, whose work is included in the White Rabbit Gallery collection and was featured in Bondi’s Sculpture by the Sea in 2017, is celebrated for his intricate sculptures created from stainless-steel parts that he individually designs and makes.

Memory Tree will be the first permanent public artwork for Xia Hang, who studied at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and has exhibited at Art Basel Miami, in Singapore, Moscow, ART Taipei and ART Singapore.

Xia Hang’s sculptures are inspired by his childhood love of animations such as the Transformers television series, which steered him towards a style he refers to as ‘Steampunk’ – the melding of ancient and traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery with virtual reality.

Image: Vivienne Binns, Urban Graph, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 165 cm Courtesy the artist and Sutton Projects, Melbourne

The Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize 2018 today announced 19 pairings of contemporary Australian and New Zealand artists, selected by Guest Curator and artist Nike Savvas, to present work in the 22nd annual prize exhibition at Sydney’s National Art School Gallery from 15 March until 12 May 2018.

The 2018 Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize features the work of 19 established and 19 emerging contemporary artists or artist duos. They include some of the Australia’s brightest contemporary art stars: Vivienne Binns OAM whose work is included in Unfinished Business: Perspectives on Art and Feminism at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne; acclaimed Australian Indigenous artist Richard Bell; Agatha Gothe-Snape, recipient of the 2016 Biennale of Sydney Legacy Artwork and Jenny Watson, who last year was honoured with a major survey exhibition at the MCA Australia.

The pairings of established and emerging artists for the 2018 Prize, who will present work at the National Art School exhibition, are:
Richard Bell & Megan Cope
Vivienne Binns OAM & Jacob Potter
Vicente Butron & Gemma Avery
Richard Dunn & Adrian McDonald
Sarah Goffman & Connie Anthes
Agatha Gothe-Snape & Aodhan Madden
Gail Hastings & Dan McCabe
Tim Johnson & Hayley Megan French
Lindy Lee & Kath Fries
Hilarie Mais & Conor O’Shea
Stephen Little & Joe Wilson and Chanelle Collier
Jonny Niesche & Mason Kimber
John Nixon & Lucina Lane
Rose Nolan & Renee Cosgrave
Kerrie Poliness & Melissa Deerson
Elizabeth Pulie & Zoe Marni-Robertson
Huseyin Sami & Consuelo Cavaniglia
David Serisier & Oliver Wagner
Jenny Watson & Annie O’Rourke