Song Ling

After 1987, as the tumultuous ’85 New Wave art movement was approaching its close, Song Ling left China to study and live in Australia. Once in Australia, he continued with his already-formed unique individual style. Aside from ink painting, he also experimented with mixed-media collage, acrylic and other mediums, 12 solo exhibitions had been organized. During his residence in Australia, Song has concerns about Chinese contemporary scene as always, and he returned to Hangzhou to set up a studio in 2013, beginning a brand new phase of personal creation.

1961 Born in Hangzhou, China

1984 Graduated from Department of Chinese Painting of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts（Now as China National Academy of Fine Arts）.

Lives and works in Melbourne and Hangzhou.

Solo Exhibitions

2018 Magritte’s Room: Song Ling’s Creative Trajectory in Thirty Years, Hive Center for Contemporary Art (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China

2016 Wildlife: Song Ling Solo Exhibition，Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China

2015 Ghosts in the Mirror: Song Ling（1985-2015）, Zhejiang Art Museum, Zhejiang, China

2014 Ghosts in the Mirror: Song Ling（1985-2013）, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China

2013 The Face, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia

2012 Beatty and the Beast, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia

2011 A Day in the Life, Michael Reid, Sydney, Australia

2010 Kaleidoscope, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia

2009 Paintings by Song Ling, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia

2008 When We Were Young, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia

2007 Song Ling, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia

2006 Song Ling, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia

2001 Ink Work by Song Ling, Zhejiang Painting Academy, Hangzhou, China

1997 Song Ling, Caulfield Arts Complex, Melbourne, Australia

1996 Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia

1994 Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia

1992 Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia

1991 Mystical East, Chinese Museum, Melbourne, Australia

1989 Impounded Visions, Frank Hardy Fine Art, Brisbane, Australia

Group Exhibitions

2018 Here/ Elsewhere: The Sample of Overseas Chinese Art, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China

          Animamix Biennale – Ballade, MoCA Shanghai, Shanghai, China

2017 Crisscrossing East and West: The Remaking of Ink Art in Contemporary East Asia, MOCA Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China

2016 Unrealities in the Reality, The Intellectual Dimension of Daily Life, Box Art Center, Shenzhen, China

          A Ride to Combine, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China

2015 Variation: Contemporary Chinese Ink Art Series II, Hive Center For Contemporary Art, Beijing, China

2014 Crossing Boundaries – Contemporary Asian Australian Artists, Sydney Town Hall, Sydney, Australia

2013 ’85 and an Art Academy, National Art Museum, Beijing, China

          Arts Can Do, Australia China Art Foundation, Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

          The Sulman Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

          Snake, Snake, Snake – Contemporary Asian Australian Artists, Sydney Town Hall, Sydney, Australia

2012 Art Event, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

          ShContamprary, Australia China Art Foundation, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China

          Redlands Westpac Art Prize Exhibition, NAS Gallery, Sydney, Australia

          Chinese Australia, Ausin Tung Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

2011 Festival of Fisher’s Ghost Art Award Exhibition, Campbell Town Art Center, Sydney, Australia

          Savage Club Art Prize Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          Mosman Art Prize Exhibition, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia

          Citizen Collectors, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, Australia

          Art for Science, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          Artwork to Tapestry, Tarra Warra Museum of Art, Victoria, Australia

          Prometheus Visual Arts Award Exhibition, Merrimac, Queensland, Australia

          Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

          Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

          Calleen Art Award Exhibition, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, Australia

2010 The 2010 Stan and Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize Exhibition, Gold Coast City Gallery, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

          Festival of Fisher’s Ghost Art Award Exhibition, Campbelltown Art Center, New South Wales, Australia

          Paul Guest Prize 2010 Exhibition, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia

          Melbourne Art Fair, Niagara Galleries, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia

          Wynne Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

          Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize, Melbourne, Australia

          The Stanthorpe Art Festival Award Exhibition, Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia

2009 Art for Science, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          Sunshine Coast Art Prize Exhibition, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Queensland, Australia

          City of Darebin and La Trobe University Art Prize Exhibition, Bundoora Homestead Art Center, Melbourne, Australia

          Recent Acquisitions from the Deakin University Art Collection, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

          Coming Home, Linda Gallery, Beijing, China

          Now 2.0, ACGA Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          Salon des Refuses Exhibition, The National Trust S.H.Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Australia

          Sulman Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

2008 Art Singapore, Gaffer Hong Kong, Singapore

          Melbourne Art Fair, Niagara Galleries, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia

          From Mao to Now, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia

          Australian Contemporary Art, the Rotunda Exchange Square Central, Hong Kong

          Archibald Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

          Linden Postcard Show, Linden, Melbourne, Australia

2007 The 2007 Stan and Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize Exhibition, Gold Coast City Gallery, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

          ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award Finalists Exhibition, Sydney, Australia

          Blake Prize Exhibition, National Art School, Sydney, Australia

          Savage Club Art Prize Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          MLC Acquisitive Art Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          The City of Darebin and La Trobe University Art Prize, Bundoora Homestead Art Center, Melbourne, Australia

          Art for Science, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          Crossroads, Toyota Community Spirit Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          The 2007 Prometheus Art Exhibition, Gold Coast, Australia 

          Art@mgs Contemporary Art Exhibition, Motor Works Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

          Tattersall Contemporary Art Prize Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

2006 If You Were To Collect…, the Deloitte Art Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          Geelong Contemporary Art Prize Exhibition, Geelong Gallery, Victoria, Australia

          ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award Finalists Exhibition, Sydney, Australia

          New Social Commentaries F.J.Foundation Art Prize Exhibition, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia

          ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

          Melbourne Art Fair, Niagara Galleries, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia

2004 Sydney Affordable Art Fair, East and West Art, Sydney, Australia

2001 New Space – 2000, Hangzhou, China

1999 International Contemporary Calligraphy, Hangzhou, China

1997 Pinacotheca Artists, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia

          Chinese Painting, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

1995 Chinese Artists Association, Fire Station Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

1994 A Place of Refuge, Ballarat Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia

1993 Diamond Valley Art Award Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

1992 Transitional Chinese Art in Australia, East and West Art, Melbourne, Australia

1990 Collective Exhibition of Raja Idris Gallery, Raja Idris Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

1989 The Light of Asia, The Arts Center Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

1988 Australia in the Mirror of the East, Galleria Di Tonetto E Salla, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

          Mayoon Fine Asian Art, Los Angeles, USA

1986 Chishe, a series of art events, happenings and environmental installations, Hangzhou, China

          Beyond the Open Door, Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles, USA

1985 ’85 New Space, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, China

          Sport in Chinese Art, China Art Gallery, Beijing, China

          Exhibition of Youth Art in a Progressing China, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

Selected Bibliography

Lu Hong, History of Chinese Contemporary Art 1978 – 1999, Shanghai Shuhua Publishing House, 2013

Awakening of the Dragon, Harper’s Bazaar Australia, February 2013

Melissa Pesa, Beauty and the Beast, Art Almanac, July 2012

Danny Gocs, Portrait Fit for the Archibald, The Australia Jewish News, March 9, 2012

Song Ling, Well-known Painter of Chinese Origin, Dares to Explore the Oscar of Australian Art World, Melbourne Daily, April 30, 2011

Artist Song Ling and His Works, United Times, August 11, 2011

Terry Ingram, Pond Artist Swimming in It, Australian Financial Review, December 8, 2011

Suzanne Carbone, Artist’s Multicultural Palette, The Age, November 24, 2011

Kate Just, Song Ling – Pop Artist, ARTicle magazine, Issue 12, 2011, Melbourne

Helen Redmond, A Stable Influence, Vogue Living, Autumn/Winter Issue, 2010

Special feature of the Pond Association(Chishe) in Fine Art in China magazine, Cover of Art Asia Pacific Nov – Dec Issue, 2010

Kate Just, Song Ling-Kaleidoscope, Niagara Publishing, Melbourne

Lu Peng, The Story of Art in China- from Late Qing to Present, Peking University Press, 2010

Lu Peng, A History of Art in Twentieth-Century China, Edizioni Charta, Milan, Italy, 2010

Paul Gladston, Song Ling in Conversation with Paul Gladston, Yishu magazine, Issue 7, November 2008

Harriet Fesq, Strokes of Genius, Art Market Report, Issue 29, August 2008

Megan Backhouse, Art around the Galleries, The Age, February 2, 2008

Jeff Makin, New Point of Inspiration in Dot Matrix, The Herald Sun, January 29, 2008

Gao Minglu, The ’85 Movement – An Anthology of Historical Sources, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2008

Gao Minglu, The ’85 Movement – The Enlightenment of Chinese Avant-garde, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2007

Alison Barclay, Artist’s Brush with a Deserving Cause, The Herald Sun, July 28, 2007

Lu Peng, A History of Art in Twentieth-Century China, Peking University Press, 2006

New social commentaries 06’, Artwork, Issue 65, December 2006

China’s New Art, Post-1989, Asia Art Archive, 2001

Lu Peng and Yi Dan, A History of China Modern Art 1979-1989, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, 1992

Christopher Heathcote, Ideas Along an Artist’s Journey, The Age, April 29, 1992

Rebecca Lancashire and Mike Daly, Chinese Culture Goes on Display, The Age, February 1991

Gao Minglu, A History of Contemporary Chinese Art 1985-1986, Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 1991

Contemporary Chinese Artists, Chinese Research Institute, Beijing, 1988

Meaningless Choice? Series on page 11 of Jiangsu Pictorial, Issue 12, 1987

People’s Pipeline on the inside front cover of Harvest magazine, Issue 5, 1987

Female Player on the inside front cover of Donghai magazine, Issue 4, 1987

Meaningless Choice? No.12, Meaningless Choice? No.11 on page 8 of Arts magazine, Issue 2, 1987

Walking in the Green Space by Geng Jianyi, Zhang Peili, Song Ling, et al., on the back cover of The Trend of Art Thought magazine, Issue 1, 1987

Work Platform One in New Arts, Issue 1, 1987

People· Pipelines No.4 on inside back cover of West Lake magazine, Issue 12, 1986 

Remote Sense on page 17 of Jiangsu Pictorial magazine, Issue 9, 1986

People· Pipelines No.1, People· Pipeline No.2 on inside back cover of Wenhuayule (Culture and Entertainment) magazine, Issue 6, 1986

White Pipeline, on the inside front cover of Jiang Nan supplementary issue, March 1986

Remote Sense on front cover, and People· Pipeline, White Pipeline on inside pages of Arts magazine, Issue 2,1986

Avant-garde Artist IV – Chi She from Zhejiang, Fine Art in China, Issue 45, 1985

Horizon, Light and Shadow on page 38 of Jiangsu Pictorial, Issue 8,1985

The World of Building Berths on the front cover of Fuchunjiang Pictoral magazine, Issue 7, 1985

Serial pictures Twinge in Fuchunjiang Pictoral magazine, Issue 5, 1985

The World of Building Berths on the inside front cover of New Arts magazine, Issue 2, 1985

People Paving the Road Alongside the Sea in New Arts magazine, Issue 4, 1984

People Paving the Road Alongside the Sea in Youth Daily, July 13, 1984

People Paving the Road Alongside the Sea in Jiangsu Pictorial magazine, Issue 9, 1984

Collections

Yuz Foundation, Djakarta, Indonesia; Shanghai, China

Long Museum, Shanghai, China

ANZ Bank, Melbourne, Australia

Sydney Art Bank, Sydney, Australia

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

Hawkesbury Art Collection, Australia

Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles, USA

M＋ Museum

Private collections in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, USA and UK.