John Young, LKM (Blue), 2015, oil on linen, 156 x 126 cm
Art Guide Australia features a review on JOHN YOUNG’s exhibition 1866: The Worlds of Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Siug at ARC ONE. Through the display of paintings, tapestries and chalk drawings, the exhibition reflects the stories of the dissimilar lives of two Chinese men, Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Suig, who flocked to Australia in the mid 1800’s to seek their fortunes. Young became interested in these two men’s lives through his research in the unique histories of Chinese diaspora in Australia. Lowe Kong Meng was a wealthy merchant and Jong Ah Siug an illiterate miner who was committed to an asylum for 33 years until his death. The research of this history was carried out over a two-year project from Young’s Australia Council Visual Arts Fellowship received in 2012.
Read the article here