Floating World
Paintings by Chak
January 9 - 31, 2009
Paintings by Chak
January 9 - 31, 2009
Artist will
attend the opening ceremony from 6pm to 8pm on January 9, 2009
Chak's Statement:
Art Beatus Gallery is located on the ground floor of 35-39 Graham Street, Central, near the junction with Hollywood Road and Lyndhurst Terrace (SOHO Area).
For further information, please either e-mail us at dyiu@artbeatus.com.hk or call at 2522-1138 / 2526-0818.
Gallery Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am to 7:30pm, Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays.
Chak's Statement:
All the air, mountains,
waves, fog and clouds that viewers see in my
works can be considered as the pride of being Chinese in an age of
complete Westernization.
After a few successful exposures in my career, which included shows in Clock Tower (PS1), IT-Park and an invitation to the space of Taipei Museum, I abruptly refrained from exhibiting after 1995. That may have much to do with my tormented and rebellious character. Now a decade passed. When I look back, it has become clear that the ordeal was in fact my action against reaction.
In the 80s I was protected within the environs of various universities. The art scene in New York, which can be termed as my “after-school” program, on the contrary was under strong influence of Post Modernism. Art and artists carried price tags rambling around SoHo. Everything became merchandise overnight. As a newcomer, I did not enjoy what I saw. Art has been my lifelong passion. As I could not change the world, personal adjustments were made. To start with, I quit participating in exhibits. Yet I have never stopped thinking, understanding, analyzing, dreaming and most of all creating art.
I am always interested in the Neo-Marxist's view on colonialism. Western culture has not only changed the way Asians dress, the food we eat, the language we speak; it has also altered how we perceive. In short, there is no such thing as "West meets East" but "West eats East." In the realm of visual art, this very trend has undercut the growth and continuity of Chinese painting.
In 1995 I surrendered with my ego bruised. Being an Asian as well as a painter, I was both confused and lost. To my understanding, an intellectual is someone who thinks independently. By the same token, an artist needs to be one who can express his own views through art. I have great doubts in following the Caucasian mode and calling the outcome contemporary Chinese art. Such thought forced me to study what Asia possessed that is of equal importance. I ended up with trees and hills (very much "Old School Chinese"). The subjects may seem traditional, but I can assure you that they are up-to-date modern. Asians long for peace (of mind), while western culture revolves upon experience and excitement. Such views are directly reflected in art. We see mists and streams as tranquility; that very subject (nature) may look mundane in some foreign eyes.
I am immersed in harmony when I paint. The process (of creating) is my holy shrine and the canvas a breath of fresh air. The finished art provides a slim window to escape. It frees us from the mortal trivial. It is a means and the end is the visual, which enacts eternity.
After a few successful exposures in my career, which included shows in Clock Tower (PS1), IT-Park and an invitation to the space of Taipei Museum, I abruptly refrained from exhibiting after 1995. That may have much to do with my tormented and rebellious character. Now a decade passed. When I look back, it has become clear that the ordeal was in fact my action against reaction.
In the 80s I was protected within the environs of various universities. The art scene in New York, which can be termed as my “after-school” program, on the contrary was under strong influence of Post Modernism. Art and artists carried price tags rambling around SoHo. Everything became merchandise overnight. As a newcomer, I did not enjoy what I saw. Art has been my lifelong passion. As I could not change the world, personal adjustments were made. To start with, I quit participating in exhibits. Yet I have never stopped thinking, understanding, analyzing, dreaming and most of all creating art.
I am always interested in the Neo-Marxist's view on colonialism. Western culture has not only changed the way Asians dress, the food we eat, the language we speak; it has also altered how we perceive. In short, there is no such thing as "West meets East" but "West eats East." In the realm of visual art, this very trend has undercut the growth and continuity of Chinese painting.
In 1995 I surrendered with my ego bruised. Being an Asian as well as a painter, I was both confused and lost. To my understanding, an intellectual is someone who thinks independently. By the same token, an artist needs to be one who can express his own views through art. I have great doubts in following the Caucasian mode and calling the outcome contemporary Chinese art. Such thought forced me to study what Asia possessed that is of equal importance. I ended up with trees and hills (very much "Old School Chinese"). The subjects may seem traditional, but I can assure you that they are up-to-date modern. Asians long for peace (of mind), while western culture revolves upon experience and excitement. Such views are directly reflected in art. We see mists and streams as tranquility; that very subject (nature) may look mundane in some foreign eyes.
I am immersed in harmony when I paint. The process (of creating) is my holy shrine and the canvas a breath of fresh air. The finished art provides a slim window to escape. It frees us from the mortal trivial. It is a means and the end is the visual, which enacts eternity.
Art Beatus Gallery is located on the ground floor of 35-39 Graham Street, Central, near the junction with Hollywood Road and Lyndhurst Terrace (SOHO Area).
For further information, please either e-mail us at dyiu@artbeatus.com.hk or call at 2522-1138 / 2526-0818.
Gallery Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am to 7:30pm, Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays.
