Guo Jian

Guo Jian produces intricate photographic collages that depict serene landscapes, animals, and religious icons based on traditional Chinese paintings with some images borrowed from the culturally significant Ming and Qing dynasties. Up close, the images subtly unfold to reveal a sea of montaged smiling faces. Large-scale and commanding from afar, the works are underpinned by a compilation of clippings that he extracted from excessive trash found throughout the streets and land across china.

The pixels of faces belong to movie and television stars, who display their notoriously sexy smiles that infiltrate and encroach on all aspects of the environment in China. Juxtaposing a unique cultural heritage with the malignant side of consumerism, Guo Jian brings into focus an environmental and cultural decay that has begun to take hold of contemporary China.

Following his experience as a propaganda poster painter in the People’s Liberation Army during the late 1970s, Guo Jian has carved an impressive career as a contemporary artist of note, participating in numerous exhibitions within Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, USA, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China. He has been featured in Artist Profile Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Radio and TV, and on the cover of the Asian Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Magazine. His work is featured in a number of prominent collections, including: Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (GOMA); National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney; Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane; Global Resources, Los Angeles, USA; as well as private collections in China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Sweden, Belgium, France, New Zealand, Australia and USA.

Click here to view Guo Jian’s exhibition opening news.

Art Atrium Artist in Conversation – Guo Jian & Mabel Lee

Art Atrium Exhibition Opening – Guo Jian

Artwork

Simon Chan has established a reputation as a professional gallery director who has helped many aspiring artists by showing them in his Art Atrium Gallery. Mixing exhibitions of established artists with younger artists, he has created a perfect way to promote living artists in difficult times.

Simon has also endeavoured to get prominent figures in the art world to open his exhibitions, which is a good way to publicise and promote younger artists. I commend Simon’s activities, and hope that the artists he has promoted will not forget who first gave them a helping hand. It is the first step up which counts so much in today’s very competitive art world.

Lou Klepac OAM

Art historian, Author, Curator & Publisher

Art Atrium is the invention of Simon Chan, an Architect who has a passion for art, especially indigenous art and architectural drawings. He is one of the few people with the breadth of experience and opportunity to hold such shows at his gallery that demonstrate his discerning eye and appreciation for the unusual and the best of art.

Professor Philip Cox AO

Professor of Architecture UNSW & Founding Partner of Cox Architecture

Simon Chan is a practising architect with a passionate commitment to promoting contemporary art that reflects Australia’s multiculturalism, and in which Australian Indigenous art has an important dynamic presence. In 2009 he founded Art Atrium in Bondi Junction to provide a dedicated space that would allow him to share his artists’ works with audiences, and also to enjoy the physical experience of curating the exhibitions. I have observed the superb way he manages the launch of these events, and I know that all of his artists appreciate the encouragement and advice that he never hesitates to offer.

Dr. Mabel Lee PhD FAHA

Adjunct Professor of Chinese Studies, School of Languages & Culture A18, The University of Sydney

Simon has established an active platform at Art Atrium to encourage cross cultural expression and collaboration among artists from different cultural background. I was honoured to open an exhibition of Chinese Australian women artists, as well as to conduct an Artists in Conversation event when artists directly communicate with art lovers. His passion towards art goes beyond his Gallery, and leads him to generously support art endeavours in public art institutions. He offers guided tours as a Community Ambassador at Art Gallery of NSW, and also serves as a Director on the Board of VisAsia which plays a vital role in promoting Asian art in Australia.

Yin Cao

Curator of Chinese Art at ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

I love the paintings I have bought from Art Atrium - they have really struck a chord. It's also been an absolute pleasure talking with and buying from Simon; it's clear he's in it for the love of the art and that makes the whole experience so much less 'transactional' and more emotional.

Amanda Falconer

Management consultant & business storytelling specialist