- Immersive exhibition juxtaposes Zheng He and Leonardo da Vinci, inspired by Gavin Menzies’ 1434
- Challenges Eurocentric narratives by foregrounding Eastern ingenuity and cultural exchange.
- Created in just two weeks, the installation invites viewers to “sail through time with curiosity as their compass.”
By Anansa Jacob
WALKING into A Sojourn through Stars and Seas: Zheng He–Da Vinci Juxtaposed, one is immediately struck by the ambience: shallow water underfoot reflecting a star-studded ceiling, draped cloth evoking billowing sails, and a thoughtful curation of artifacts and sketches.
This immersive experiential art installation, set in a warehouse in the atmospheric The Courtyard@Beach Street 1786 in George Town, Penang (click here), is the creation of Singaporean artist Tan Kwank Liang. Running until Sept 30, 2025, the show is more than an art installation – it is a visual argument rooted in Gavin Menzies’ controversial book 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance (Click here).
Tan’s involvement began when he met Lee Khai, one of the co-founders and organisers of the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns (CWC) in May 2025 in China. CWC, recently hosted its inaugural conference from Sept 3 to 7, 2025 in Penang. Lee had invited Tan to create an art installation centred on Menzies’ thesis.
"When I learnt what Lee Khai was going to do, I was very interested,” Tan explained. “I’ve always had a keen interest in Chinese culture, history, and philosophy, and of course, Zheng He’s voyages.”
Challenging Eurocentric narratives
The entire installation was conceived and mounted in a remarkably short time. “The brainstorming started in May, and the physical work itself took about two weeks before the start of the CWC Conference,” Tan shared. Despite the tight timeline, the result is a meditative yet provocative environment that challenges the dominance of Eurocentric histories.
This installation is not only an artistic reconstruction of Zheng He’s voyages but also a relook at history, said Tan. His work offers viewers multiple perspectives on the possible connection between Zheng He's fleets and the Renaissance.
Tan’s artistic journey is as expansive as the themes he explores. With upcoming group shows in Taiwan and Thailand, and a solo exhibition planned in Russia in 2027, he sees art as a fundamental force in society.
“Regardless of variation or form, art influences, shapes and helps in our life. Art also inspires us in each and every way,” he said.
Key identifiers of human creativity
For Tan, art is one of the key identifiers of human creativity. “Even AI is also human-generated… Yes, it generates work based on collected information, but who puts the information in the cloud? Again it’s humans, drawing from human experiences.”
This belief in human-centric narratives resonates with the mission of the CWC. “You see what we learnt in school from the time we were young, everything from science to arts, all areas and disciplines, are Western narratives. Western scientists, Western scholars, Western philosophers, Western politicians, whatever. Very little was said about the East,” said Tan.
“Of course, they cannot deny that the Chinese had four main inventions – papermaking, the compass, gunpowder, and printing – but little has been mentioned of their origins, even though Western science and technology has taken the concepts and used them.
“One of the key areas where I can relate with CWC is that they are trying to drive the narrative,” Tan noted. “One of CWC’s main functions is to drive our own narrative from the Oriental, from Asia.”
Tan would like to express his appreciation to Mr Tan Chor Whye, his Can Can Public Art team and the team from Choongcons, for helping to set up the art installation and The Courtyard for sponsoring the space.
To rethink history
Through A Sojourn through Stars and Seas, Tan Kwank Liang doesn’t just display art — he invites viewers to rethink history, value Eastern ingenuity, and sail through time with curiosity as their compass.
To him, installation art is an art form that transforms an entire space into art whereby the audience is no longer a viewer but a participant.
Don’t miss this extraordinary journey through time and tide! Step into the evocative world of A Sojourn through Stars and Seas: Zheng He–Da Vinci Juxtaposed — opens daily until Sept 30, 2025, at the historic The Courtyard@Beach Street 1786 in George Town, Penang, from 5pm to 10pm. Explore Menzies’ provocative thesis through powerful visual storytelling and discover connections between East and West that history books often overlooked.
As Tan says, this is more than an art exhibition; it’s an invitation to see world history through new eyes.
