Chan Hampe Galleries presents Beautiful Stories: Chapter One an exhibition of new works by artist Eric Chan.

Eric Chan's latest body of work presents a selection of curious narratives. Neo-surrealist in nature, the dreamlike quality of the work suggests both inner and outer worlds on display, revealing seemingly mismatched storylines that flicker between present and past, reality and fantasy.

Appropriated images layered on split panels combine with Chan's signature stylistic elements—blurred imagery, swelling flora, and a striving to go beyond representations of visual beauty, suggesting moments of heightened emotions and sublime experiences.

While Chan's works are often autobiographical, here his presence is felt only as narrator, enticing the viewer to partake in the subject's private stories and secret daydreams. However, as daydreams can serve as both happy distractions and as means of escape, Chan leaves each story's final plot up to the viewer.

About the artist:

Eric Chan (b. 1975, Malaysia) is one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary painters, Eric Chan’s signature floral paintings are composed of subtle strokes and layered veils of colour, imbuing his work with a distinct radiance as though viewed through a diffused lens. His paintings are shaped by photographic aesthetics, from blurring or smearing to simulate slow shutter speed, to the tonal inversions of film negatives. He frequently combines flora and fauna with human figures, occasionally placing them over random tracts of text for their aesthetic calligraphy. Working with oil on canvas or linen, Chan deftly handles his media with precision and deliberation in the pursuit of hyperrealism.

-Chan Hampe Galleries

Image: © Eric Chan
Courtesy of the artist and Chan Hampe Galleries