Drawings

Here is a selection of the drawings by Chinese Australian artist / painter Fan Dongwang.

Dragon In Water

Fan Dongwang.

Chinese-Australian artist Fan Dongwang's recent works Dragon In Water is a departure from tradition. Here dragons are aquatic creatures living in water with fluid and hybrid identities, using their wisdom to navigate the terrain of ongoing change. Here the water is the environment, the agent for change. Water dissolves and transforms the old into the new. The traditional Chinese icons have developed into a new kind of postmodern dragon: one that is disintegrated and reintegrated. It reflects China today; a mixture of traditional and modern, Eastern and Western cultures. Dragon has not diminished but re-emerged onto an unprecedented level. The colours are richer and at the same time subtle and the composition has complex layers as though the dragon is coming and going into many different realms. This icon of power and protection acquires a new dual meaning of capitalism and globalization.

Dragon

Fan Dongwang

Chinese-Australian artist Fan Dongwang's serial work Dragon depicts this very important icon of Chinese culture often seen in jade and ivory carvings. He views these traditional images as not only beautiful, but also as powerful symbols of nationhood. It is through these symbols that the past continues to have a bearing on the present as well as the future. The dragon often evokes different and ambiguous meanings among many cultures. In China it represents the emperor’s unchallenged power and authority, while in the West it is often viewed as representative of evil spirits. The dragon represents the emerging Chinese cultural identity, expresses the artist's feelings towards contemporary China and the current revival of its culture.