Opening Saturday October 25

Opening reception: 5PM - 7PM
Guests of Honour: Tina Tian (Founder of TWT Property Group and Director of the Australia China Art Residency ACAR Art Prize) and Professor James Curran (Modern historian at the University of Sydney)

Artist in converstation: 4PM - 5PM 

The use of line by Chinese artist Chen Gelin resembles rays of colourful light. Each 3-dimensional textile forms a path that reflects across different points of the frame. His paintings, too, are otherworldly landscapes. Sparse rooms with arched windows resemble portals to other planets, while orbs of light float in quiet harmony. Through these artforms, Gelin meditates on light as something vast and multifaceted. 

“I turned a line into a beam of light” examines Gelin’s heritage, his upbringing, and his vast imagination. Gelin grew up in Bobai County in Guangxi Province, known for its rich tradition in Hakka textiles. When he studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, he discovered a fascination with the ways old techniques could convey a sense of futurism. Surrounded by Zhuang Brocade patterns, known for their geometric forms and rich woven colours, he began vividly referencing them in his art. He innovates these influences into 3-dimensional realms. Futurism expands his practice to evoke themes of dynamism, energy, and emotion. 

Each painting is an interplay between architecture and the outside environment. Grand, futuristic constructions are transformed by long morning shadows. Here, sand dunes resemble drapery, and water takes on the tonality of buildings. They evoke a sense of harmony and reflection, where light blurs the boundary between the inside and outside worlds. Many textiles are inspired by different times of the day when the shadows draw long and the colours of the sky transform. In doing so, the artist explores a sense of landscape and how it is affected by changing times.