CROCODILE DUNDEE , ULURU IN ASIAN ARTIST'S FANTASIES

Bung  another spring  roll  on  the  barbie

 

The  Little Darwin dragnet recently   hauled in a mixed  bundle of  ephemera which  included a slim catalogue-Paradox-for  the  unusual  1997  works  by  artist  Hou Leong  in which he digitally  inserted  himself  in   distinctly  Australian  photographs , including  the  one   above  showing  him  in  a  clinch  with  Linda Kozlowski   in   Crocodile Dundee , and  painted  four   versions  of  the   Mona  Lisa .  

 

He  also  cuddled  up  to  Marilyn  Monroe (don't think she sang happy birthday to him  like she did to JFK )  , posed  with Chairman Mao , became  a  top Aussie cricketer , put  the Sydney Opera House in a  Chinese setting  , somehow managed to combine   Uluru in  the  Northern  Territory  with   the   Great  Wall   of   China  and was snapped  with  Andy  Warhol  and  Elvis . 

Mona  Lisa  Mei  on  canvas. 

Leong  came to Australia from Shanghai in  the early 1990s  and majored  in print making  at  the Australian National University School of Art . Twice short listed for the Moet & Chandon art  prize, he took to photo media and  taught himself  the  early version  of  Photoshop . He  has exhibited  at Australia House in London , the Australian Embassy in Paris  and the National  Gallery Federation  Exhibition.  His artwork is included  in the Parliament House  Collection . In  2008  he  opened   the  Silk  Road  Gallery , Kingston , Canberra .