Artist John Young Zerunge invites us on a journey into the lives of remarkable characters that were part of the Chinese diaspora in Australia from the 1840s onward. Reimagined memories of the local Chinese elite, abject madmen and fearless women are distilled into large-scale installations of chalk drawings, photographs, video works and paintings.
A culmination of three recent History Projects by the artist, exploring the ways in which humans are fundamentally interconnected cultural beings, this exhibition brings to the surface the stories of many overlooked, important events in Chinese-Australian history over the last 180 years.
The Lives of Celestials was a solo exhibition by artist John Young Zerunge on display at Town Hall Gallery from 31 August to 20 October 2019.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, Lambing Flat (2018), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton paper, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery, project initiated by 4A Centre for Contemporary Art, Sydney, curated by Micheal Do and Mikala Tai. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, still from The Field (2019), HD Video, 8:05 minutes. Sound Production: Ian Parkinson, Post Editing: Andy Newton, Camera: Simon Apps and Cyrus Tang, Post-Production: Scott Zero, Chroma Media. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, still from The Field (2019), HD Video, 8:05 minutes. Sound Production: Ian Parkinson, Post Editing: Andy Newton, Camera: Simon Apps and Cyrus Tang, Post-Production: Scott Zero, Chroma Media. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, The Meeting and Cochran Town (2015), Single thread hand-sewn silk embroidery, 41 x 42 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Exhibition opening at Town Hall Gallery for John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, 31 August 2019. Photograph by ImagePlay.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, Modernity’s End Half The Sky (2016), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton paper, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, Modernity’s End Half The Sky (2016), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton paper, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, 1866 The Worlds of Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Siug (2015), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, 1866 The Worlds of Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Siug (2015), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by ImagePlay.
Installation view of John Young Zerunge: The Lives of Celestials, Town Hall Gallery 2019. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, 1866 The Worlds of Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Siug (2015), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
John YOUNG ZERUNGE, 1866 The Worlds of Lowe Kong Meng and Jong Ah Siug (2015), Digital print on photographic paper, chalk on blackboard-painted archival cotton, 100 x 70 cm each. Courtesy of the artist and ARC ONE Gallery. Photograph by ImagePlay.