26/04/2026
Sheng Qi's Work on Display at the National Gallery of Victoria, Featured on the Cover of The Age Spectrum Supplement
Work by London-based Chinese contemporary artist Sheng Qi has recently garnered significant attention in Australia. On 21 March, The Age — one of Australia's most authoritative broadsheets — published a full-cover spread of Sheng Qi's work Memories (Mother) (2000) in its weekend cultural supplement, Spectrum. The work entered the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in 2004 and is currently on public display as part of the thematic group exhibition Mother Stories from the NGV Collection.
The Age is among Australia's most respected and widely read serious newspapers. Its Spectrum supplement has long served as a leading platform for cultural and arts criticism in the country. A full-cover feature in Spectrum carries considerable weight within the Australian mainstream media landscape, representing meaningful recognition in both critical and public terms.
The National Gallery of Victoria is Australia's oldest and largest public art museum. Mother Stories from the NGV Collection draws on the museum's permanent holdings to explore the theme of motherhood across cultures and geographies, bringing together works by artists of diverse backgrounds. Sheng Qi's Memories (Mother) occupies a central place within the exhibition's narrative, distinguished by its profound engagement with personal memory and collective historical experience.
Sheng Qi was born in China in 1965 and is currently based in London. A key figure in China's '85 New Wave art movement, his practice spans photography, installation, and painting, with a sustained focus on the body, memory, and historical trauma. His works are held in the permanent collections of major public institutions across Europe, Asia, and beyond.
