JOHN YOUNG at UTS Gallery

Manchurian Snow Walk, an early conceptual artwork by John Young is included in the exhibition A Moment in Extended Crisis, now open at UTS Gallery, Sydney curated by Andy Butler.

As Butler writes:

‘John Young’s Manchurian Snow Walk (1979) acts as an historical and conceptual touchstone for this exhibition . . . shown here as a performance documentation with instructions, [the work] was performed three years after the death of Mao. Young was sent away from Hong Kong in 1967 at 11 years old by his family, to protect him from the Cultural Revolution. As a 23-year-old art student, deeply entrenched in the Conceptualism, Minimalism, and Land Art movements of the 1970s, Young’s father bought him a train ticket to the farthest corner of mainland China for reasons still unknown, and too late to discover. Young traipsed back and forth from a single point, tracing lines in the snow, with the indication of his presence bound to disappear.’

The exhibition runs until 28 June 2024.

CYRUS TANG & JOHN YOUNG Feature in 'Assembly' at ANU

Opening tonight! 🥂 CYRUS TANG and JOHN YOUNG are part of a must-see group exhibition called 'Assembly' at The Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW) at ANU from 5:30–7:15pm.

Curated by Dr Olivier Krischer, 'Assembly' brings together eight Hong Kong-born artists from different generations of the diaspora. Amid the current wave of migration, this exhibition explores the act of ‘making sense’ of layers and fragments, of memories and stories, told or untold. 'Assembly' embraces the resonance and dissonance between the diverse creative practices of these artists, questioning readymade notions of diasporic identity.

IMAGE: Cyrus Tang, In memory’s eye, we travel…, 2016, 3 channel HD video, 8.38 min loop

JOHN YOUNG Forthcoming Monologue

HISTORY PROJECTS

These four works from our current exhibition, JOHN YOUNG: 'Spectrumfigures, Naturescapes' mark a signifiant point in the artist's ongoing History Projects.

In 2013, John Young was the recipient of the Australia Council Visual Arts Fellowship to research the History of Chinese Diaspora in Australia.

The Fellowship supported work on two-year program with a team of researchers, who unearthed over 130 stories the long presence and rich contribution of the Chinese in Australia since the 1840s. The resultant History Projects are an amalgamation of historical imagery, investigative visual reports and contemporary artistic synthesis that evidence.

Now, a decade after it began, John Young's The History Projects is examined in a forthcoming monograph, edited by Olivier Krischer, published by the Power Institute of Fine Arts, University of Sydney (2023).

JOHN YOUNG & ROBERT OWEN feature in CHROMA Exhibition at Murdoch University Art Gallery

JOHN YOUNG and ROBERT OWEN feature in the current exhibition CHROMA which opened at Murdoch University Art Gallery over the weekend.

Taking its name from the Greek word chrôma, which refers to the purity, intensity or saturation of a colour. The exhibition features a selection of vibrant contemporary artworks from the Murdoch University Art Collection, which all explore colour in very different ways.

IMAGE 1: Robert Owen, Witness, Facing East #1 (Chant from a Holy Book), 2005 - 2006, From the series Music for the Eyes, Synthetic polymer paint on linen, Seven panels, 122 x 122cm each, 122 x 855cm overall.

IMAGE 2: John Young, Spectrumfigure XIV, 2018, oil paint on Belgian linen, 190cm x 150cm.

Installation images courtesy of Murdoch University Art Gallery.
Photographed by Eva Fernandez.

JOHN YOUNG In Conversation with Dr Sean Lowry

As part of the 2022 VCA Access Program JOHN YOUNG will be in conversation with Dr Sean Lowry on Monday 24, October at ARC ONE Gallery. Speaking about four decades of making art and the possibilities of an artistic practice beyond the VCA.

IMAGE: Diaspora, Psyche: John Young - A Survey, Bunjil Place Gallery, Victoria, 2021, installation view

SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY 2022

Welcome to ARC ONE at SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY

From today will be showing a selection of major artworks from some of Australia's most significant contemporary practitioners, including PAT BRASSINGTON, LYNDELL BROWN / CHARLES GREEN, PETER DAVERINGTON, MURRAY FREDERICKS, JANET LAURENCE, HONEY LONG & PRUE STENT, DANI MARTI, JULIE RRAP, IMANTS TILLERS, GUAN WEI, CATHERINE WOO, and JOHN YOUNG. We are also proud to be presenting, for the first time, the work of internationally acclaimed artist DESMOND LAZARO.

Our booth is showcasing brand new artworks, alongside some of the most iconic works from ARC ONE Gallery, in celebration of these artists and their significant contribution to contemporary art in this country.

JOHN YOUNG in conversation at THE MUSEUM OF CHINESE AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

This Saturday June 25, JOHN YOUNG will be in casual conversation on the ‘History Projects’ and making art as an artist from a diaspora, at the Museum of Chinese Australian History from 2 – 3 pm.

This will be a wonderful talk by the highly revered John Young.
📷 Portrait of John Young by Maurice Weiss

Artist feature in 'Installation View: Photography Exhibitions in Australia (1848-2020)'

IMAGE: Anne Zahalka, The Cook (Michael Schmidt/architect) from the series Resemblance, 1986, matt Cibachrome paper, unique larger size, 100 x 100cm.

Six of our artists ANNE ZAHALKA, PAT BRASSINGTON, JULIE RRAP, JACKY REDGATE, JUSTINE KHAMARA and JOHN YOUNG feature in Daniel Palmer and Martyn Jolly's publication 'Installation View: Photography Exhibitions in Australia (1848-2020)', published by Perimeter Books and designed by Public Office.

"Installation View offers a significant new account of photography in Australia, told through its most important exhibitions and models of collection and display. By looking at what lies beyond the frame the exhibition speaks not only to pictures, but to the people and places that nurture them."
Find more information about the book here

JOHN YOUNG mentioned in ART COLLECTOR

IMAGE: JOHN YOUNG, ‘The Forgotten Message’, 2004, Digital print and oil on linen, 272.5 x 191cm.

JOHN YOUNG’S ‘The Forgotten Message’ has been named by Andy Butler in Art Collector as one of the 10 works available in commercial gallery stockrooms that he would take home now if he could.

READ MORE in Art Collector’s 100th issue (April/June 2022)

JOHN YOUNG'S EXHIBITION AT BUNJIL PLACE EXTENDED

John Young, Installation View, Diaspora, Psyche, Bunjil Place, 2021

JOHN YOUNG’s exhibition ‘Diaspora, Psyche’ at Bunjil Place will open again from 6 November and continue until 7 December 2021.

There will be a panel discussion on Saturday 13 November from 3.30 – 5pm with John Young, James Nguyen, Sangeeta Sandrasegar, and moderated by Carolyn Barnes. In discussion will be how diaspora informs the reality of contemporary Australia and how different communities fit into this place?

For more information, visit here >

JOHN YOUNG PANEL DISCUSSION

JOHN YOUNG will be speaking as part of a panel discussion on Thursday 21 October at 6pm (Melbourne time) on ‘Connecting hospitality and community with contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds’.

Moderated by Andrew Deane (Associate Director, Development and Partnerships, Asia Society Australia), the conversation will also include Professor Nikos Papastergiadis (Director of the Research Unit in Public Cultures and Professor in the School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne), and Nasim Nasr (Iranian-born visual artist whose practice has engaged themes of intercultural dialogue between past and present, East and West).

John Young, The Field, 2018, HD video with color and sound: 8 min 5 sec

JOHN YOUNG IN ARTIST PROFILE MAGAZINE

JOHN YOUNG is profiled in the latest edition of Artist Profile magazine.

H.R. Hyatt-Johnston’s essay on John Young examines the international scope of the artist’s life and work, as well as attending closely to local connections and influences. Accompanied by Bri Hammond’s pensive portraits, Hyatt-Johnston traces Young’s trajectory from a childhood in Hong Kong to studies at the University of Sydney, living in London and Paris under the Power Scholarship for the Cité International des Arts, to returning to Australia, founding what is now 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art with Melissa Chiu, and finally to creating new work for Bunjil Place in 2021.

Read the essay by subscribing online, or have it delivered to your home as part of subscription packages.

John Young photographed by Bri Hammond

VIDEO TOUR OF JOHN YOUNG'S EXHIBITION 'DIASPORA,PSYCHE'

Bunjil Place Gallery may be temporarily closed, but they’ve worked hard to find ways for you to experience JOHN YOUNG’s survey exhibition 'Diaspora, Psyche', from the comfort of your own home.

Take some time to enjoy this short video with John Young as he shares some of the key ideas that have shaped his thought-provoking and timely exhibition.

You can also take a virtual tour of the exhibition here >

CURATOR TALK AT JOHN YOUNG'S 'DIASPORA, PSYCHE'

On Thursday 1 July, join curator Penny Teale at Bunjil Place Gallery as she discusses JOHN YOUNG’s latest survey exhibition Diaspora, Psyche.

This exhibition brings together John’s History Projects and Double Ground Paintings to contextualise his recent focus on the history of the Chinese in Australia since 1840, examining how meaning is created through historic expressions of cross-cultural ethics, material and cultural exchange, and the effects of diasporic experience on the psyche.

The talk will be held at 12 noon on Thursday 1 July. Admission is free. Stay tuned for more talks, film screenings, a catalogue in various languages and AR guided tours related to this exhibition!

More information >

JOHN YOUNG SURVEY AT BUNJIL PLACE

JOHN YOUNG’s new solo show Diaspora, Psyche opens at Bunjil Place Gallery today! This is a major survey of works spanning 17 years, from 2003 to 2019.

John Young, Three Worlds, 2004, (from the Double Ground Paintings: The Persian Paintings), digital print and oil on linen, 189.5 x 231.5 cm, Private collection

In the most comprehensive presentation of his practice since 2005, Diaspora, Psyche brings into dialogue two of Young’s most significant bodies of work: the History Projects (2008-2019) and the celebrated Double Ground Paintings (1995-2005). This pairing will contextualise Young’s recent focus on the history of the Chinese in Australia since 1840 within his four-decades long investigation into the condition of diaspora and the negotiation of bicultural ethics and perspectives.

This exhibition brings together, for the first-time, key paintings and installations to present an exploration of transcultural perspectives, examining how meaning is created through historic expressions of cross-cultural ethics, material and cultural exchange, and the effects of diasporic experience on the psyche.

Diaspora, Psyche will be supported by a selection of research and archival material that has informed these works to provide visitors with greater insight into the complexities of the artist's working practices.

More information>

Read review in The Saturday Paper >

JOHN YOUNG WORK ON AWARD WINNING WINE

2017 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay

Congratulations to Leeuwin Estate on their award for Best Chardonnay in the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards. This bottle features ARC ONE artist JOHN YOUNG’s stunning work ‘Veiled Spectrum V’ on the label. Leeuwin Estate commissioned the artist to produce the original painting, which is now held in their important collection and displayed in the Leeuwin Estate Art Gallery in Margaret River.

Leeuwin Estate first developed an association with the arts fraternity when launching the famous ‘Art Series’ wine labels. The artworks that appear on the labels are acquired by the Estate, whose collection now comprises over 150 paintings and artworks from artists including John Olsen, Arthur Boyd, Sir Sidney Nolan, Lloyd Rees, Albert Tucker, Fred Williams, Robert Juniper, Clifton Pugh, ROBERT OWEN and IMANTS TILLERS.

ARC ONE Gallery is currently showcasing two works by John Young from the same series in our exhibition COLOUR SENSE. Contact the gallery for more information about these available works.

JOHN YOUNG AWARDED ORDER OF AUSTRALIA

A huge congratulations to JOHN YOUNG AM, who last week became a member of the Order of Australia. John has been recognised for his significant service to the visual arts, and as a role model.

Since his first exhibition in 1979, Young has had more than 70 solo exhibitions and over 160 group exhibitions nationally and internationally. He has devoted a large part of his four-decade career towards regional development in Asia, and recently focused his work on transcultural humanitarianism. Young was seminal in establishing the Asian Australian Artists’ Association (Gallery 4A) in 1995, now 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, where he has been a board member since 2009. Young was also a lecturer in painting at University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts has undertaken residencies and fellowships with the Australia Council for the Arts and is a trustee of McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery.

As evidenced by the career highlights above, this is truely a well-deserved achievement. Congratulations John!

GUO JIAN | CYRUS TANG | GUAN WEI | JOHN YOUNG

Not one, but four ARC ONE artists are included in the exhibition Between Two Worlds at Newcastle Art Gallery. GUO JIAN, CYRUS TANG, GUAN WEI & JOHN YOUNG are featured.

Between Two Worlds aims to promote the diversity of works of art being produced by Australian artists of Chinese heritage. The exhibition acknowledges the artists who have lived, worked and are connected to China and Australia through migration, major historical events and Australia’s agricultural and industrial developments.

On the opening Saturday, GUO JIAN will join a panel discussion that introduces the exhibition’s themes, along with curator Catherine Croll and fellow exhibiting artists Rowena Foong & Peter Gardiner.

This talk will run from 2 -3 pm on Saturday 16 November.

More information >

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JOHN YOUNG

Portrait of John Young by Leah Jing

JOHN YOUNG is interviewed in Liminal Magazine. Speaking to Cher Tan, Young unpacks the Asian-Australian identifier, the new paradigm being evolved by the culturally-orientated, the problematic indolence of the contemporary art viewer, and his current playlist!

"My early periods of making art were based on constant re-invention and re-interpretation of my own life condition...What drove me then was having seen or stumbled into, on occasion, the possibility of making a work that makes everything in your life make sense—something that prompts things to fall into place with immense clarity."

-John Young

Read the long-form interview here.

JOHN YOUNG | CYRUS TANG

Join JOHN YOUNG today for a panel discussion with artist CYRUS TANG, historian Karen Schamberger and curator Michael Do on the use of archives in art, and the stories presented in The Lives of Celestials.

1:3- - 3 pm today, at the Boroondara Arts Centre.

This is a free event, but bookings are essential.
Book here >

John Young, The Lives of the Celestials installation view, Hawthorn Arts Centre, 2019