GUAN WEI’S tapestry Treasure Hunt is currently on display at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. In this tapestry, Guan Wei references navigation, exploration, migration and the influence of globalisation through the fable of admiral Zheng He.

Admiral Zheng He led a legendary fleet of “treasure ships” which sailed to foreign lands in the early 1400s, creating new nautical maps and collecting rare spices, treasures, birds and animals. The ‘Treasure Hunt’ tapestry represents the flora and fauna Zheng He might have encountered in his travels, including sea monsters drawn from Chinese and European mythology. The land shapes in the design reference 14th century Chinese maps and the Chinese symbols for East and West and the names of mountains have been painted in. Each smaller drawing within the work also has a significance within European or Asian history.

The design is inspired by a large painted mural from Guan Wei's exhibition Other Histories at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney in 2006. The tapestry was shown at ARC ONE for his 2018 solo exhibition Chivalry, and will remain on display at the ATW until 6 November 2020.

Treasure Hunt, 2017, Guan Wei, woven by Chris Cochius, Pamela Joyce, Jennifer Sharpe and Cheryl Thornton, wool and cotton, 0.864m x 3.6m. Photo by Jeremy Weihrauch.