Negotiating 'Chinese-Australian' Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China series (1998-2004)

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    Abstract

    In 2003, Australias National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra commissioned a rising Australian contemporary artist, Ah Xian, to create a portrait of Dr John Yu, one of the countrys most celebrated paediatricians. Both the artist and the subject have contributed greatly to Australian society and culture, yet it was to a certain extent their Chinese heritage that brought them together. The resulting portrait Dr John Yu (2004, Figure 1) communicates this Chineseness in three interconnected aspects: above all, it is a deeply personal portrayal of a Chinese-Australian by a contemporary Chinese-Australian artist; at the same time, its medium, as well as the manner and location in which it was created, evoke an association with the history of Chinese porcelain; finally, Ah Xians use of an iconic Chinese motif and the link that this creates with his other works suggests an added layer of cultural meaning. It is this third, cultural element that attains most significance, uniting with the personal and historical dimensions of meaning to communicate Ah Xians and Yus shared experiences as migrant citizens, shaped by their individual negotiations of ChineseAustralian identity.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)33-53
    JournalAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Art
    Volume17
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2017

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