With a new generation artist such as Chen Wei, we enter a world in which nothing is certain. Although his preferred medium is photography, Chen Wei’s scenarios are constructed like sculptures or theatre sets. These images may be disarmingly low-key but as we keep looking they reveal a broad range of possible meanings. Chen Wei’s images are open to multiple interpretations.
There is a surreal aspect to much of Chen Wei’s work, as in a picture of a pair of feet joined by tied shoe laces, or a plaster statue that has crumbled into powder. These scenarios are plausible but unlikely, filled with pathos and dark humour. They make us think that something strange has happened, or is about to happen. This sense of expectancy may be the most constant factor in a body of work that constantly plays on the viewer’s imagination, making each image seem like a still from a lost movie.
Highlights of the show are exhibited in light boxes in the Head On Popup Gallery in front of Queen Victoria Building.
Kickstart our month-long festival of the arts with music, photography, and community on the shores of the dazzling Bondi Beach. Be the first to know who won the 2024 Head On Photo Awards and get a taste of the photographs redefining visual storytelling.
Enthralling. Enchanting. Extraordinary. Discover exceptional photography for free around Sydney during the festival 8 Nov–1 Dec 2024