The trace is not a presence ...

Five Australian artists from different Chinese diasporic communities embrace their material histories to celebrate the process of becoming.

Overview

Through the hands of five Australian artists from different Chinese diasporic communities, The trace is not a presence … highlights both the active process of making, and the experience of transcending the past towards a present that is not immediately identifiable and complete.

A trace is a materialised passage of time, history, and memory. The exhibition includes historical documents and cultural objects to suggest traces of the past, as well as contemporary artworks by:

  • Dongwang Fan 
  • Jenna Lee
  • Cyrus Tang
  • John Young
  • Louise Zhang

The paintings, sculptures, installations, videos and prints exhibited illustrate how traces can be fabricated, replicated and threaded into the present.

Here, the process of fabrication and reproduction is a positive act, destabilising staid notions of authenticity. The differences artists create potently distinguish them from being static copies or “doubles” of the so-called origin. 

'The trace is not a presence …' (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by Jacquie Manning.

50

automatic

A person walks through 'The trace is not a presence' exhibition Link

Curator
Shuxia Chen

Designer

Exhibition Manager
Luke Parker

Details

When

Open seven days a week
Mon - Fri: 10am - 5pm
Sat - Sun: 12 - 4pm
Closed on Public Holidays

Until 3 August 2025

Location

Level 1 Gallery
Chau Chak Wing Museum

Cost

Free

Photo gallery

Header image: The trace is not a presence … (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by Jacquie Manning.

 

Get
in touch

Contact us

Phone: +61 2 93512812

Email: ccwm.info@sydney.edu.au

Chau Chak Wing Museum
University Place
Camperdown NSW 2050

Connect