Jingmin Ren – XINYIN LIUNIAN™: Bondi Series
Eastern Philosophy and the Energy of the Coast
Tanya Goldberg, Executive Manager of Arts, Culture and Events at Waverley Council, Jingmin Ren and Chris Bendall, Artistic Director of Bondi Pavilion
Source: Meishujia.com (China Artists Network)
Published: 7 March 2026
Jingmin Ren and Her Featured Work
On 22 February 2026, the contemporary art exhibition “Good Together”, presented by Waverley Council, opened at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney and will run until 19 April 2026.
The exhibition brings together a group of artists active in the Waverley region. Through works across different media, the artists explore themes of community, nature, and the shared future of sustainability.
International award-winning contemporary artist Jingmin Ren, Chairperson of the Asian Pacific Region Arts & Artists Alliance (APRAAA®), presents her representative series “XINYIN LIUNIAN™ – Bondi Series.”
Among the 11 artists selected through the highly competitive Residency program, she is the only artist of Chinese heritage participating in the exhibition.
Good Together Exhibition
Rooted in the spiritual essence of traditional Chinese seal carving, Jingmin Ren transforms the historical depth embedded in ancient seals into a contemporary visual language. Within a multicultural context, her work reflects on the exhibition’s broader theme: how we might live together more harmoniously.
The XINYIN LIUNIAN™ (Seal of the Soul) series represents one of Ren’s long-term artistic systems. Inspired by the cultural significance and temporal depth of traditional Chinese seal art, the series explores the profound relationship between time, civilization, and inner spiritual resilience.
In her practice, the square structure of the traditional seal is transformed into an energetic field within contemporary painting, where the “seal” becomes more than a symbol—it becomes a witness to the flow of time and consciousness.
As an important branch of this series, the Bondi Series integrates the structural language of Eastern epigraphy with the natural energy of the South Pacific coastline.
Stone and seal represent accumulation and cultural memory, while ocean waves symbolize movement and openness.
Where these two temporal forces meet, the artwork moves beyond landscape representation and becomes a symbolic expression of spiritual presence.
Ren explains:
“Creation is not only an expression of form, but also an exploration of spiritual origins.
Standing Between Mountain and Sea symbolizes the inner strength a person maintains amid change, and the ability to return to one’s source within a complex world.”
Exhibition Opening and Artistic Dialogue
On the opening night, Tanya Goldberg, Executive Manager of Arts, Culture and Events at Waverley Council, and Chris Bendall, Artistic Director of Bondi Pavilion, delivered speeches emphasizing the exhibition’s importance for the local artistic ecology and community connection.
The event attracted numerous guests from the arts, media, and academic sectors.
Among them were:
Archibald Prize–winning artist Frank Giacco
Australian painter Ross Harvey
Poet Ying Xia
Journalist Pang Shulin from the NSW Multicultural Radio Station
Media professional Li Zuoheng
Scholars Liao Shijing and Lee Jun
Student representatives from the University of Sydney and UNSW
Collectors, corporate executives, and representatives from the education sectors of Sydney, New Zealand, and Shanghai were also present to celebrate the exhibition.
Australian painter Ross Harvey commented:
“True art is not merely surface representation. It is a dialogue with a deeper reality, connected to the creative spirit that sustains all things.”
He noted that Ren’s depiction of ocean waves allows viewers to sense the primordial energy of nature, opening a spiritual dimension beyond everyday perception.
Cultural Exchange During the Lantern Festival
The exhibition also attracted attention from leaders across the Chinese-Australian community.
During the Chinese Lantern Festival, Yang Dongdong, Chairman of the Australia-China Business Summit, visited the exhibition at Bondi Pavilion.
After viewing the works, he remarked:
“It is wonderful to see Jingmin Ren’s exhibition and to witness Chinese artists presenting alongside leading Western artists in such an outstanding cultural venue.
The fusion of traditional Chinese seal art with the local coastal landscape is extremely harmonious and demonstrates a very high level of artistic mastery.”
He further noted:
“Congratulations to Jingmin Ren for creating a unique path within Australia’s multicultural landscape. Her work not only brings honor to the Chinese community in Sydney but also contributes greatly to cultural exchange.”
As a festival symbolizing reunion, heritage, and light, the Lantern Festival visit was seen as a meaningful gesture of support for Chinese artists presenting their work on mainstream Australian cultural platforms.
From XINYIN LIUNIAN™ to Yuan • Boundless
Following the international response to the XINYIN LIUNIAN™ series, Jingmin Ren is now further advancing her flagship artistic and philosophical project, “Yuan • Boundless.”
For Ren:
“Yuan” represents the primordial state before all distinctions.
“Boundless” symbolizes a spiritual realm beyond the boundaries of culture, language, and geography.
The project seeks to construct a global artistic pathway for civilizational dialogue and spiritual resonance.
From the depth of time to the boundlessness of space, Ren’s artistic journey reflects an evolution from cultural roots toward global dialogue.
Within today’s pluralistic cultural landscape, her work responds to global themes through Eastern philosophical perspectives, offering an ongoing exploration of cross-cultural artistic expression.
Artist Biography
Jingmin Ren (Ren Jingmin), also known as Jingmin Ren (JMREN®), is an international award-winning contemporary artist based in Sydney, Australia.
She currently serves as:
Chairperson of the Asian Pacific Region Arts & Artists Alliance (APRAAA®)
Expert Advisory Member of the Waverley Council Multicultural Advisory Committee
Executive Vice President of the Australian Painting Academy
Her artistic practice centers on Eastern philosophy combined with contemporary visual language, developing a cross-cultural artistic system.
Her major series include:
XINYIN LIUNIAN™ (Seal of the Soul)
Yuan • Boundless
Her works have been exhibited across multiple international art platforms and have received widespread recognition.
