National Gallery of Australia

To 14 March 2021

Xu Zhen ® is one of China’s most significant artists and activists. Curated by the White Rabbit Gallery in partnership with the NGA, this exhibition showcases the artist’s work from early videos to more recent monumental sculptures which challenge cultural assumptions, question social taboos and comment on the idea of art as a commodity.

Museum of Contemporary Art

2 October 2020 - 28 Feburary 2121

Using a spectacular array of processes which include flinging molten bronze, burning paper and allowing the rain to transform surfaces, Lee draws on her Australian and Chinese heritage to develop works that engage with the history of art, cultural authenticity, personal identity and the cosmos. 

Art Gallery of NSW

To 21 February 2021

Explores the poetic, symbolic and social significance of water in Asian art and features historical ceramics, paintings, lacquer and woodblock prints from across Asia alongside contemporary works.

Japan Foundation

25 September 2020 – 23 January 2021

Surveys the relationship between Japan’s city pop music and the paintings of esteemed illustrator Hiroshi Nagai. This is the first international solo exhibition of Nagai, whose cover art for Eiichi Ohtaki’s A Long Vacation and numerous other iconic record jackets spearheaded Japan’s city pop music culture. Since then, Nagai has collaborated with musicians and brands around the world, leaving his mark on contemporary culture and style.

Twenty of the illustrator’s original works spanning his career are presented, as well as a collection of record jackets made for a variety of music styles from Japan and around the world, including soul, funk, pop, reggae, boogie and more.

QAGOMA

Until 8 August 2021

Gradual shifts in pattern, colour and technique can be traced across thousands of years in ceramics from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, along with the presence of shared motifs, technological developments, and the marks of artistic influence.

QAG 

29 February 2020 – 8 August 2021

Features works by artists who, by experimenting with the techniques and iconography of classical tangka painting, seek its relevance in an age of digital communication. Tangka are scroll paintings that emerged from Buddhist figurative traditions in India and China, and flourished in Tibet from the 11th century onwards. Recognisable for their precise brushwork, detailed imagery and strictly proportionate geometry, these paintings principally depict the Buddha and other deities or teachers. They function as educational, devotional and meditational aids, but also serve as a source of artistic innovation and reflection.

Art Gallery of South Australia

24 July 2020 - 28 March 2021

Features over 100 works from AGSA’s Japanese collection that portray the pervasive influence of the samurai from the 14th to 20th centuries. The expansive display of textiles, lacquer, ceramics, metalware, screens, scrolls, prints and swords, highlights exemplary works, some on display for the first time.

Ongoing

You can still take a virtual tour of this exhibition on the NGV’s website