PASSAGE AND ECHO | Sidney Nolan x Guan Wei: A Dialogue Across the Century

[In China]… I was amazed at the intensity and the actuality of the mountains ….But it is also a paradox, because the spaces are sometimes cancelled out and sometimes clarified and there was an interlocking maze of, so to speak, formal spaces going on for hundreds of miles.

– Sidney Nolan, 1981

In 1975, as an 18-year-old in Beijing, I encountered the Australian landscape exhibition “1802–1975.” Sidney Nolan’s Crimson Ant Colony left an indelible mark—its dark red termite mound resembling a hill, set against a mystical blue sky and eucalyptus forest, mesmerised me with Australia’s unique wilderness.

In 2006, I finally stood in the Northern Territory’s outback, face-to-face with real giant termite mounds. These rust-red towers, some taller than a person, shimmered under the scorching sun. I immediately sketched them, later channelling this awe into my Mysterious Forest series—a silent high-five to my younger self.

Over five decades, Nolan’s art reappeared at key moments. In 1991, at Australia’s National Gallery, his Ned Kelly series stunned me: the iron-masked folk hero galloping across the bush, his showdowns with police vividly capturing Australia’s rebellious spirit. Years later, while creating Ned Kelly in China, I placed this Australian outlaw amidst traditional ink landscapes, with termite mounds witnessing this cultural crossroads.

Now 68, I’m honoured to exhibit alongside Nolan’s works. Seeing my paintings hang beside his feels like completing a half-century conversation. From a Beijing youth to a white-haired artist, this exhibition is not just my tribute to a master, but proof that true art transcends time and borders, forever stirring hearts.[1]

– Guan Wei, 2025