Sydney’s 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art will open their latest exhibition Sea Pearl White Cloud (海珠白雲(yún)) on Saturday 30 July at the Centre in Haymarket, Sydney.

Sea Pearl White Cloud (海珠白雲(yún)) is a project realised through a collaboration between 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, located in the heart of Sydney’s Chinatown, and Guangzhou’s Observation Society, one of China’s most exciting contemporary art project spaces. Bringing together Sydney-based artist Lucas Ihlein and Guangdong-born, Hong Kong-based artist Trevor Yeung (楊沛鏗). Sea Pearl White Cloud presents new works that explore themes of exchange, climate systems and natural phenomenon within the urban condition of the twenty-first century.

The 4A exhibition is the second iteration of a two-stage project that saw an exhibition of works by Ihlein and Yeung presented at Observation Society in Guangzhou from 2 June – 24 July 2016.

This project has arisen from conversations and research undertaken by the artists over nine months following fieldwork in Guangzhou’s district of Haizhu, and further afield throughout the Pearl River Delta. Centring on collaboration – between individuals, organisations and cities – this exhibition builds on the links between cities while forging new modes of dialogue that reflect on our shared local, regional and global experiences.

Sea Pearl White Cloud is supported by the City of Sydney. The Observation Society exhibition opening, back in June, was included in the official program of the City of Sydney and Guangzhou Municipality’s civic celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of their sister-city relationship. City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore officially opened the Guangzhou exhibition.

Mikala Tai, Director of 4A Centre of Contemporary Asian Art said of the project: “Exhibiting this project in two stages and across two cities allows both Lucas and Trevor to explore the connections and points of difference in natural phenomena between Guangzhou and Sydney. 4A has a long history of collaborating with art organisations in Asia, particularly independent and experimental organisations like Guangzhou’s Observation Society. Sea Pearl White Cloud is an undertaking that highlights what can be achieved through sustained and engaged artistic dialogue in our region.”

Complementing the exhibition, with the support of the City of Sydney and Art Monthly Australasia, Minerva Inwald was selected as the recipient of the inaugural 4A Emerging Writer’s Project. Selected by a panel comprising Michael Fitzgerald, Editor, Art Monthly Australasia; Luise Guest, Director of Education & Research, White Rabbit Collection; and Pedro de Almeida, 4A Program Manager and Editor of The 4A Papers, Minerva forms an integral part of the project team, having undertaken her own fieldwork as the Observation Society exhibition unfolded in June and more recently in Sydney. Minerva’s texts will be published in The 4A Papers and other titles including Art Monthly Australasia which document the development, realisation and reception of the exhibitions along with interviews with the artists.

The exhibition is open to the public and will be open daily (Tuesday – Saturday) at the Centre’s Gallery at 181- 187 Hay Street, Haymarket, from 11am – 6pm and will run from 30 July to 24 September.

About the exhibition

Dates: July 30 – September 24, 2016

Venue: 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art

Courtesy of the artists and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, for further information please visit www.4a.com.au.