Grotto Fine Art takes great pleasure in presenting Hong Kong artist Casper Chan’s first one-woman exhibition. One of most promising young artists, Chan’s paintings on wood captivates the audience with its life-size scale, monotone and haunted images.  On display will be a body of new works featuring figural compositions in various body gesture and alignment.

Figure paintings play a central role in contemporary composition.  In Casper Chan’s interpretation, they dwarf the audience with life-size scale, imposing gesture and severe symbolic implications.  The artist used charcoal, her primary medium, to produce a heavy dark hue that strikes a strong visual contrast.  Body contours were done in white acrylic paint while tea was used on the background to create tonal variation and transparency.  Most important, of course, are the central figures, which were mostly depicted singular but at times as a pair.  They formed the theme of the work.  Portrayed in compromising positions and compounded with their facial expression, Chan’s figures are the manifestation of her inner feelings that reflect tension, insecurity, irony and a sense of romanticism.  These sentiments are personal reflection of life and experiences and the artist chooses to put them upfront to challenge our own sensitivity. 

Casper Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1984.  She studied in England during her formative years and received the Bachelor of Fine Art degree in painting from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2006.  Chan is currently a full-time artist based in Hong Kong.