About this Exhibition

This is a long over due exhibition by contemporary painter Eric Chan of over 25 paintings spanning over the past 2 years of his works in this exhibition titled “BALIK KAMPUNG” – (translated “HOMECOMING” in English). Chan, who was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, had his last solo exhibition in Malaysia in 2002. He has since been actively exhibiting internationally the past few years and is now eager to present his works once again to the many supporters he has had in his home country.

Chan probes our romantic sensibilities and the mechanics of myth-making through a rich, vivid portfolio of images shaped by historical chronicles, classical and popular fiction, museum annals and photographic archives. Oriental Empresses, slave girls, exotic insects and butterflies, Victorian gardens, Indian sepoys, classical lovers emerge in these canvases, always with a twist. In his signature style of simulating camera and photographic effects, Chan frequently simulates the graphics of old black and white photographs as well as the ‘film-negative’ with its tonal inversion of the original image, reminding us that his painting is firmly set in contemporary times.

About the Artist

Eric Chan is based in Singapore and holds a Masters Degree in Fine Art from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art from LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts. His art addresses the image and the impression, how we register objects or remember the fleetingly glimpsed. His diffused images and enticing use of colour create an aesthetic of desire, a sensory reading of beauty and memory. Since starting his professional career in 2000, Eric Chan has held exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Australia and Dubai. His works have been collected by corporations and institutions, as well as auctioned by Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

“BALIK KAMPUNG” is an exhibition that is presented by ChanHampe Galleries, Singapore in collaboration with MAP@Publika which runs from 3-17 August, 2012 at Level G2-1, Block A5, Dutamas, 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, off Jalan Duta, Kuala Lampur. Opening Hours are 11am - 6pm and admission is free.