Weilun Ha (foreground) and Maxwell Gu (background), Full Circle, 2023 installation view, photo courtesy of Depot Artspace.
Photo Credit
Weilun Ha, Fragile Life, 2023, cropped and superimposed on black background, photo courtesy of the artist and Depot Artspace.
Photo Credit
Full Circle is an exhibition that features works by both students and their teacher, Weilun Ha, held in the same gallery space where Weilun first started his career as a contemporary visual artist over ten years ago. Full Circle showcases paintings, screens, and sculptures created by two generations of artists who have spent most of their lives in Aotearoa but still have a desire to connect with their Asian roots through art.
Weilun, who was trained in the traditional Lingnan or Cantonese School style of painting, is an established contemporary artist and inspired arts educator. The participating children were encouraged to embrace ancient painting techniques alongside modern materials and pop cultural references that hold relevance in their lives.
The exhibition reflects each child’s unique way of expressing their interests. Weilun’s teaching combines respect and understanding of tradition with the idiosyncratic style that each aspiring artist brings to their work. Through this approach, the children were able to create works of art that showcase their individuality while still paying homage to traditional techniques.
Eugene Yi incorporates virtual gaming characters into each painting while Cynthia Zhou’s interest in nature and cartoons converge to seamless effect. Lucas Deng was born in the year of the snake, and he has an interest in tattoo aesthetics in his painting. William Gu has a keen interest in myth and legends of the dragon, and Gabriel Lei depicts Gundam robots with strong gestures and mark making. Warwick Zhang’s works explore architectural space while Maxwell Gu interprets plant and aquatic forms. Marcus Wu is inspired by the Star Wars films and Isabella Wu expresses her love for cats and stories woven through decorative surfaces. Rico Zhang has an interest in the ink techniques used to depict landscaping and mythology. Stanley Ren is interested in Japanese culture and mythology, his key interest is in symbology. Weilun Ha’s practice predominantly explores the fragility of life through painted objects that are embellished with traditional porcelain techniques.
Overall, Full Circle is a celebration of the intersection between tradition and modernity in art and highlights the ways in which artists can connect with their heritage while creating works that express their contemporary identities.
Full Circle is an exhibition that features works by both students and their teacher, Weilun Ha, held in the same gallery space where Weilun first started his career as a contemporary visual artist over ten years ago. Full Circle showcases paintings, screens, and sculptures created by two generations of artists who have spent most of their lives in Aotearoa but still have a desire to connect with their Asian roots through art.
Weilun, who was trained in the traditional Lingnan or Cantonese School style of painting, is an established contemporary artist and inspired arts educator. The participating children were encouraged to embrace ancient painting techniques alongside modern materials and pop cultural references that hold relevance in their lives.
The exhibition reflects each child’s unique way of expressing their interests. Weilun’s teaching combines respect and understanding of tradition with the idiosyncratic style that each aspiring artist brings to their work. Through this approach, the children were able to create works of art that showcase their individuality while still paying homage to traditional techniques.
Eugene Yi incorporates virtual gaming characters into each painting while Cynthia Zhou’s interest in nature and cartoons converge to seamless effect. Lucas Deng was born in the year of the snake, and he has an interest in tattoo aesthetics in his painting. William Gu has a keen interest in myth and legends of the dragon, and Gabriel Lei depicts Gundam robots with strong gestures and mark making. Warwick Zhang’s works explore architectural space while Maxwell Gu interprets plant and aquatic forms. Marcus Wu is inspired by the Star Wars films and Isabella Wu expresses her love for cats and stories woven through decorative surfaces. Rico Zhang has an interest in the ink techniques used to depict landscaping and mythology. Stanley Ren is interested in Japanese culture and mythology, his key interest is in symbology. Weilun Ha’s practice predominantly explores the fragility of life through painted objects that are embellished with traditional porcelain techniques.
Overall, Full Circle is a celebration of the intersection between tradition and modernity in art and highlights the ways in which artists can connect with their heritage while creating works that express their contemporary identities.
