Latest News

• Add My News • Search Old News

Gippsland › Latest news › Latrobe Local News

Acclaimed Chinese photographer’s work features at Gallery

A touring exhibition of two series of photographs by Xing Danwen, a contemporary photographer from Beijing, currently features at the Latrobe Regional Gallery in Morwell.

By Latrobe City Council - 14th March 2006 - Back to News

The exhibition of ‘duplication’ and ‘disCONNEXION’ has been organised by the Chinese Museum in Melbourne.

Latrobe Regional Gallery Director, Louise Tegart, said that as Australia comes to grips with globalisation and its relationship with China, Xing offers us her own take on her rapidly modernising and globalised homeland as its economic and social fabric is reformed.

"In the exhibition of the two series ‘duplication’ and ‘disCONNEXION’, the struggle to reconcile the allure of consumer culture, technology and modernisation can be seen. The tangled wires, circuit boards and broken cell phone casings in Xing's images reflect raw economics at work in China's Guangdong province - a thriving dumping ground for the world's obsolete electronics," Ms Tegart explained.

In explaining her need to portray a dark reality of 21st century technology and economics, Xing said that travelling between China and the United States has made her increasingly aware of the conflicts between modernity and tradition, dream and reality.

"I carefully choose, direct and intimate moments to portray the objects I find. The aesthetic quality of the imagery almost removes the objects from their social context. But I cannot forget that most of the e-trash I am photographing is shipped from the United States and dumped in the Guangdong Province where people make a meagre living recycling it," Xing said.

"While we rely extensively on high-tech devices for our modern life, I was nevertheless shocked when confronted with the piles of dead and deconstructed machines, cords, wires, chips and parts - all of them with traces of America on them. In my country, I have experienced the changes that have taken place under the influence of Western modernity. These changes, driven in large measure by the United States, have contributed to a powerful push for development in China. At the same time, they have led to an environmental and social nightmare in remote corners of the country."

Xing was born in 1967 in Xian, China. She studied at the Xian Academy of Fine Arts and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing before completing an MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her first photographic work was photographing the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and documenting the avant-garde art scene in Beijing throughout the 1990s.

Xing is a rising star of the Chinese art scene. She has exhibited in major Museums across the world, including the prestigious Whitney Biennale, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Sydney Biennale. Her work is held in collections including the Pompidou Centre (France), the Uli Sigg Collection (Switzerland), the International Center for Photography (USA) and Whitney Museum (USA).

The exhibition continues at the Latrobe Regional Gallery until 26 March.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: support@gippsland.com

• Latrobe Regional Gallery unveils spring exhibitions celebrating place, culture, community, history and the natural world
  Latrobe Regional Gallery spring program features five exhibitions exploring Gippsland places, community, culture, history and nature, alongside Japanese traditions and contemporary artistic responses.
• Latrobe Regional Gallery launches spring season with five exhibitions and live mural creation on 19 September 2026 In Morwell
  Latrobe Regional Gallery will launch its Spring Season on Saturday, September 19, featuring five exhibitions and a live monumental mural by Japanese-Australian artist Twoone/Hiroyasu Tsuri during the Morwell event.
• Berninneit Gallery celebrates 'Forests Through Hoa Nguyen Immersive Art Exhibition' from 12 September to 25 October 2026
  Berninneit Art Gallery presents Becoming the Forest, featuring three large-scale drawings by Hoa Nguyen celebrating Bass Coast forests. The exhibition opens September 12, with a Living Earth Gathering on October 3.
• Dark fairytales spring to life as acclaimed Shake & Stir Theatre Co returns to Berninneit with GRIMM on 18 August 2026
  Shake & Stir Theatre Co returns to Berninneit on August 18 with GRIMM, a visually spectacular reimagining of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales for audiences aged 14 and over.
• Melbourne Symphony Orchestra returns to Sale after 17 years, bringing acclaimed performances and Australian premieres to The Wedge on 28 October 2026
  The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will return to Sale on October 28, performing at The Wedge for the first time since 2009, featuring Mozart classics and a world-premiere Australian concerto.
• Working together to secure East Gippsland's water future through integrated water management
  East Gippsland CMA and regional partners are collaborating through Integrated Water Management to address climate, flooding, population growth, stormwater, recycled water and wetland protection challenges while planning sustainable projects.
• New Bairnsdale worker accommodation nears completion, boosting healthcare workforce capacity across East Gippsland communities
  Bairnsdale new 28-apartment healthcare worker accommodation is nearing completion, providing affordable housing for up to 32 staff and strengthening regional health services while supporting local jobs and investment.
• Visa delays threaten regional harvest workforce as farmers and tourism employers demand urgent federal government action before summer
  Farmers, tourism operators and regional employers warn visa delays could cause critical workforce shortages during summer harvest and tourism periods, urging the Federal government to restore timely visa processing.
• The Nationals unveil $40M plan offering health workers incentives to fill critical regional jobs across Gippsland and Victoria
  The Nationals propose $40 million over four years for a Victorian Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, offering eligible regional health workers up to $10,000 for relocation, accommodation and professional development.
• The Nationals warn visa delays threaten harvest workforce, food supply and regional farmers already facing mounting pressures
  The Nationals warn visa delays are threatening critical harvest and agricultural workforces, urging Labor to provide certainty, faster approvals and migration settings supporting farmers, regional communities and food supply.
• Labor government criticised over regional childcare shortages, workforce gaps and red tape following parliamentary inquiry findings
  A Victorian parliamentary inquiry found regional childcare providers face severe workforce shortages, vacant places, growing waitlists and excessive red tape, with Melina Bath calling for stronger accountability and practical solutions.
• Morwell Rose Festival returns with blooms, aerial acrobatics, night lights, workshops and family entertainment from 6-7 November 2026
  Morwell Rose Festival returns for its ninth year in 2026, featuring thousands of roses, aerial performances, night lights, workshops, market stalls, live entertainment and family-friendly activities.
• Morwell Historical Society opens exhibition celebrating Northway Family’s pioneering legacy and Hazelwood’s early history for community visitors
  Federal and state MPs opened Morwell Historical Society’s Pioneering Northway Family Exhibition, showcasing three generations of Hazelwood pioneers through photographs, documents and maps until November 29.
• West Gippsland Arts Centre opens 2027 exhibition applications for artists and creatives across all visual disciplines and genres
  West Gippsland Arts Centre is inviting artists across visual disciplines to submit expressions of interest for its 2027 exhibition program, with submissions closing October 12, 2026.
• Nationals and Liberals unveil $40M plan to strengthen Gippsland's regional health workforce and services
  The Nationals and Liberals propose a $40 million rural health workforce scheme, offering incentives up to $10,000 for relocation and accommodation to attract healthcare professionals to regional Victoria.
• Darren Chester and Matt Canavan to tour Gippsland industries, meeting local employers and workers across seven regional towns
  Nationals Leader Matt Canavan will tour Gippsland for two days, visiting major energy, forestry, manufacturing and agricultural businesses to discuss regional jobs, investment and industry challenges.
• Darren Chester and Martin Cameron visit Mitchell House to recognise local aged care workers and services
  Federal Member Darren Chester and State MP Martin Cameron visited Morwell Mitchell House, recognising aged care workers and highlighting the importance of accessible, compassionate local care for older Gippslanders.