Siteng Wei. RMIT University. New Talent Award Nominee 2021

Name of graduation student: Siteng Wei
Name of guiding teacher: Dr. Mark Edgoose, Dr. Nicholas Bastin 

Nominated by RMIT University , Melbourne, Australia

In his practice led research project Siteng Wei explores the interplays between Chinese landscape art, contemporary jewellery and objects, and the Australian landscape. Siteng reinterprets the art of traditional Chinese ink and brush landscape painting (Shan Shui) through the innovative and skilled use of resin, dyes and plastics.

As a Chinese person living in Australia, Siteng oscillates between the spiritual, mythical and otherworldly space of Chinese Mountain-water landscapes and the arid, desolate and alien landscapes of Australia, and in doing so, brings together his Chinese cultural heritage and identity with a sense of connection and ‘state of being’ with Australia through his contemporary jewellery and object practice. 
/ Dr. Mark Edgoose

Summary of PhD thesis:
My practice-based research project explores the interplays of Chinese landscape art and contemporary jewellery and objects in the context of the Australian landscape. Living and travelling in Australia as a Chinese foreigner led me to interpret the intercultural experience through depicting natural and inner Australian landscapes. To elaborate on this and to contribute innovation through this research project, I apply the artistic lens and cultural perspective of traditional Chinese landscape art to the subject of Australian landscapes. 

Through exploring methods of Chinese landscape depictions and Australian landscapes, I produced a body of work consisting of wearable jewellery and objects. These artifacts of Australian landscapes reinterpreted through a Chinese imagination investigate the contemporary individual experiences and perceptions in the natural and social landscapes of Australia. The findings and outcomes of this research project illuminate the potential and capacity of utilising contemporary jewellery and objects to investigate and encapsulate the convergence of Chinese and Australian materials, landscapes, and cultures

The body of work consists of four series of works, which are named Landscapes, Rocks, Gold and Elixir. The first series of works Landscapes investigates how to interpret Australian natural landscapes with aesthetics and methods of traditional Chinese landscape painting. The works of this series feature motifs of Australian landscapes, and free-formed transparent resin that evokes traditional ink and colour Chinese landscape painting.

Rocks, the second series of works, explores natural Australian landscapes through rock-like objects created from heat-formed plastic and coloured resin. This series of works consider the concept of Chinese scholar’s rocks, the jewellery pieces and objects of this series are presented as artificial scholar’s rock created from reimagined Australian landscapes.

In the third series of works Gold, I started to study the historical artifacts of Australian gold rush jewellery. I started this part of research because they are significant examples of how Australian landscapes are depicted in jewellery and objects. However, I then learned the positions of Chinese miners and migrants in the history of Australian gold rush, and decided to create this series of works from this perspective. The works of this series are created in plastic with pure gold foil, they are presented as a parody of the gold artifacts that depicted Australian landscapes. I seek to use this series of works to reflect on this specific part of history, and the current positions of Chinese travellers and migrants in Australia.

The last series of works Elixir investigates the social and political landscapes of Australia. This series of works examines specifically on the topic of Chinese shopping agents in Australia, who purchase Australian commercial goods and ship to China, they are also known as Daigou in Chinese. The naming of this series is inspired by the Chinese mythology of Elixir of life, which tells the story of the Qin emperor who seek immortality, sent expedition fleets to the mythical sacred island to search for the Elixir of life. I compare the topic of Daigou and the story of Elixir of life with humour and parody, I use the materials of popular Daigou products such as Australian infant formular powder and fish oil as elements used in this series of works.
/Siteng Wei


More work and contacts:
Email: sitengwei@hotmail.com
Instagram: RMIT University