A solo exhibition entitled “The Splendor of Objects” is currently on at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery, showcasing acrylics by local artist Chan Man Kin until Saturday.
An artist at the Li Keran Academy and a resident painter at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Chan’s latest solo exhibition at the free-admission gallery comprises a total of 21 acrylics, according to a recent FRC gallery statement.
The statement said that the project was inspired by “still-nature painting and “takes the classic Dutch School* genre as a starting point, expanding it into the abstract universe like an explosive nuclear reaction”.
The statement said that the collection started with a piece that Chan created last year titled “Still Life with Peaches”, which was closely related to the COVID-19 pandemic and gave meaning to the rest of the works in the exhibition.
The artist was quoted in the statement as saying: “I started a discussion on the sense of security and stability needed for life: from specific objects to the examination of life and death, from gazing at death to express appreciation of life”, as well as remarking on the observations he made during the work’s creation.
The entire process was a “philosophical discussion of existence and death”, he said.
Chan added that still-life painting gives him a sense of personal stability, “allowing my body and mind to quickly integrate”.
One can visit the gallery today and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. More details can be found on the foundation’s Facebook page.
*According to Wikipedia, when a work of art is labelled as ‘Dutch School’, it means that the specific artist who created it is unknown.
Photos: Rui Pastorin
