CAI Kequn

Prato project 2011

The diverse cultural histories of China and Italy inspired Professor Cai’s painting entitled the Dawn of Stone Bridge, which the artist gifted to our campus at the end of his residency. The work was one of many paintings that Professor Cai completed in Prato. His works explored not only landscapes, but key symbols and cultural attitudes throughout the history of China and Italy. He held two exhibitions during his residency, concluding with 'East and West: Respecting Diversity'.

Professor Cai’s residency was an initiative of a memorandum of understanding between Wenzhou University, Monash University, the PIN Polo Universitario ‘Città di Prato’ - University of Florence, and the Province of Prato. Prato is among Italy's most multicultural and diverse cities, and it has one of the largest populations of Chinese migrants in Europe, with many from Wenzhou. The memorandum aimed to promote social inclusion research, greater inclusion of Chinese residents in Prato, and student and staff exchanges. With no shared language between them, Professor Cai and our staff were supported by Miao Miao Huang, a local student, who undertook an internship at our centre.

One of Professor Cai’s paintings was later used on the cover of Chinese Migration to Europe: Prato, Italy, and Beyond, edited by Loretta Baldassar, Graeme Johanson, Narelle McAuliffe and Massimo Bressan, and published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015. This publication was an outcome of the Chinese in Prato symposia series held in alternate years at our campus and at Wenzhou University, featuring academic work and local initiatives on the Chinese in Prato to contribute to knowledge and understanding of the migrant experience.

Background

Professor Cai was Vice-Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Design, Wenzhou University, in China, and one of the directors of the oil painting association in Zhejiang.