CHRIS HUEN SIN KAN – PUZZLED DAYDREAMS
2020-04-06Huen’s largescale oil paintings are derived from observation of his own life, portraying quotidian experiences through a fresh set of aesthetic strategies that bring the domestic and surreal into compelling partnership. His technique, imbued with both deft abstraction and the hallmarks of traditional Chinese ink painting, involves layering one dab of paint over another until the pattern on the canvas echoes the spirit of the scene. The blank spaces and fragmented forms give voice to a specific moment and the way it exists, or perhaps escapes the artist’s consciousness.
From his studio in leafy Yuen Long, north of the dense urban centre of Kowloon, Huen depicts a cast of recurring characters including his wife Haze, two children, and dogs Balltsz, Muimui and Doodood. His dream-like pictures evolve organically and haphazardly; the artist forgoes underdrawings and sketches, and rather than paint from a photograph or from the scene itself, favours intuition by opting to eternalise transient moments from feeling and memory. Depicting what has been seen but perhaps forgotten, Huen’s intuitive exploration of perception flows with a deep sensitivity and alchemy of recognition, attaining a specific resonance steeped in individual sensation and shared experience.
Opposite – Doodood, Balltsz and MuiMui, 2020
Online exhibition runs through to May 2nd, 2020
Simon Lee Gallery
12 Berkeley Street
W1J 8DT
London
