TRADITIONAL and contemporary Chinese art spanning more than 300 years have gone on display in simultaneous exhibitions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bendigo Art Gallery unveiled the two new exhibitions on Friday with part of Bendigo's Golden Dragon Museum collection on show in the Treasures of Dai Gum San exhibition.
Contemporary works from a collection donated to La Trobe University by economist and diplomat Geoff Raby feature in the exhibition In Our Time.
Bendigo Art Gallery curator Clare Needham created the exhibition alongside Sophie Couchman.
Ms Needham said the collection of artefacts in the Dai Gum San exhibition were part of Bendigo.
"It's a really amazing collection held within Bendigo and regional community," she said.
"To be able to put (these items) on display now in this amazing way and have so many examples to put on display is all to do with the care that they've had over a period of 250 years."
READ MORE
Golden Dragon Museum chief executive Hugo Leshen said the curators had selected objects with interesting art history to them.
"A lot of people, particularly a lot of locals, will think 'I know the collection from the Golden Dragon museum really well', and many do, but at the museum we show the pieces in a social history context," he said.
"We're looking at them here in the exhibition, as works of fine art, which of course they are. So it's the same object but a different story. And that's a very special opportunity."
"The Golden Dragon Museum collection has over 30,000 objects. There are less than 200 here.
"There are no processional dragons (at the gallery), the dragons are back in the museum. The curators wanted to showcase other important pieces from the collection."
Ms Needham has previously worked with the Golden Dragon Museum for a Bendigo Easter Fair exhibition.
"Having that initial opportunity to research the collection and look at some of these incredible pieces, there was such a great opportunity to be able to bring more of that out beyond those social history stories that people know," she said.
"Having these two collections together, you get a continuum through time of the cultural and artistic traditions and ways that artists express identity and express culture."
Dr Raby's collection or Chinese contemporary art began in 1986 when he was living and working in China.
He recently donated his collection to La Trobe University , where he studied multiple degrees when younger.
"This is nearly four decades of the Chinese contemporary art movement from virtually the beginning to now," Dr Raby said. "(La Trobe has) been very keen to show it publicly and this is the first public exhibition of the collection.
"My interest in Chinese society, economics, how trade has changed over the last 40 years (is) reflected in the art collection, and how the contemporary art movement has moved on.
"I never collected in a deliberate sense. I'm not an art expert. I'm passionate about this and I'm passionate about my time in China."
Mr Leshen urged people to see the unique display of artworks which was one-of-a-kind.
"This is probably the largest exhibition of Chinese arts and culture shown in an Australian regional gallery for quite some time," he said.
"It's very important that we celebrate that here because not many regional centres would be able to stage an exhibition of this standard and this quality,
"Don't imagine you've seen it before. Come and see these treasures. They are unique. They are proudly Bendigo and we are very fortunate to have them."
Now just one tap with our new app. Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser. See how to download it below: