Out of place: One artist's story of aboriginal life

Ocher and ink were used in the collaborative painting by the two artists of different races with traditional Chinese painting occupying the left side of the canvas, while a design typical of indigenous Australian art taking up the right. In the artwork, images of fish swimming from right to left symbolize the communication between the artists' two cultures.

Most of Zhou's earlier paintings focused on directly portraying the aborigines.

As he gained a deeper insight into aboriginal spirituality over the years, Zhou began to express his feelings through his own abstract works, which usually include aboriginal symbols.

The artist says he has developed his own style of art in recent years.

While he initially took aboriginal culture as his muse, he later began to meld cultural elements from aboriginal life into his works and discover his own sense of individualism.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull praised Zhou's work for its integration of elements from the Chinese, Western and indigenous creative traditions.