Through the hands of five Australian artists from different Chinese diasporic communities, The trace is not a presence … highlights both the active process of making, and the experience of transcending the past towards a present that is not immediately identifiable and complete.

A trace is a materialised passage of time, history, and memory. The exhibition includes historical documents and cultural objects to suggest traces of the past, as well as contemporary artworks by:

• Dongwang Fan 
• Jenna Lee
• Cyrus Tang
• John Young
• Louise Zhang

The paintings, sculptures, installations, videos and prints exhibited illustrate how traces can be fabricated, replicated and threaded into the present.

Here, the process of fabrication and reproduction is a positive act, destabilising staid notions of authenticity. The differences artists create potently distinguish them from being static copies or “doubles” of the so-called origin. 

When

Open seven days a week
Mon - Fri: 10am - 5pm
Sat - Sun: 12 - 4pm

Closed on Public Holidays

Until 3 August 2025

Location

Level 1 Gallery
Chau Chak Wing Museum

Cost

Free