Luis Chan’s exhibition opens for the public in Shanghai

The Power Station of Art is an international art museum located in Shanghai that periodically presents art exhibitions displaying the ingenious artworks of contemporary artists in the world. From March 21 to June 23, the Power Station of Art is presenting a major retrospective exhibition of Luis Chan’s work, one of China’s leading artistic figures. The exhibition follows Chan’s life in chronological order, allowing visitors to understand the development of his artistic views and other changes throughout his life. The exhibition displays more than 100 of his best work created with various artistic techniques such as watercolors, oils, sprays, abstracts and collages in order to reveal his creativity and talents. 

Born in a Cantonese family in the Caribbean state of Panama in 1905, Chan moved to Hong Kong with his family at the age of five. In his childhood he showed a strong obsession with painting. Soon, without any professional training, he developed his unique style of painting in his teenage years and started to attend overseas art courses and art associations, eventually becoming featured in various art magazines. He also wrote several critical reviews on the press and painted different natural landscapes. 

The exhibition at the Power Station of Art divides his artistic career into three periods. The first part shows Chan’s artwork during his early career years to the 1950s. Since his early paintings were mostly watercolor, oil landscapes, and human figures, this part of the exhibition displays paintings that depict Hong Kong’s landscape in a realistic manner. The second part of the exhibition showcases Chan’s artwork between 1940s to 1970s, which are highly influenced by the modernization and establishment of Western modern art in Hong Kong. During this period, Chan decided to explore new styles such as cubism, surrealism, and structuralism. The change in his artistic views can be seen in the abstract paintings  in this section. Lastly, the third part of the exhibition shows Chan’s work between the 1960s to the 1980s. The artwork in this area conveys his unique style of painting. By showcasing nearly 90 works from this period, the exhibition attracts visitors to appreciate his mature work. 

The Power Station of Art is also showcasing other exhibitions such as Hélène Binet: Dialoghi, Thonik: Why We Design, and The Challenging Souls: Yves Klein, Lee Ufan, Ding Yi this spring. The address for the Power Station of Arts is 678 Miaojiang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, 200011. For additional information, please visit this website: http://www.powerstationofart.org/en/

Featured Image – A picture of a painting created by Luis Chan – Courtesy of Luis Chan

By Amy Kang