Negotiating 'Chinese-Australian' Identity: Ah Xian's Dr John Yu (2004) and his China China series (1998-2004)

Abstract

In 2003, Australia’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra commissioned a rising Australian contemporary artist, Ah Xian, to create a portrait of Dr John Yu, one of the country’s most celebrated paediatricians. Both the artist and the subject have contributed greatly to Australian society and culture, yet it was to a certain extent their Chinese heritage that brought them together. The resulting portrait – Dr John Yu (2004, Figure 1) – communicates this ‘Chineseness’ in three interconnected aspects: above all, it is a deeply personal portrayal of a Chinese-Australian by a contemporary Chinese-Australian artist; at the same time, its medium, as well as the manner and location in which it was created, evoke an association with the history of Chinese porcelain; finally, Ah Xian’s use of an iconic Chinese motif and the link that this creates with his other works suggests an added layer of cultural meaning. It is this third, cultural element that attains most significance, uniting with the personal and historical dimensions of meaning to communicate Ah Xian’s and Yu’s shared experiences as migrant citizens, shaped by their individual negotiations of ‘Chinese Australian’ identity.