Tony Yin Tak Chu arrived in Canada in 1996. Since his arrival in B.C. he has received an extensive education in art, painting and art history from Langara College, the University of B.C. and Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. He lives and works out of a studio in Vancouver.

Chu will be doing an exhibit at The Maple Ridge Art Gallery dubbed as Mountains and Rivers, a series of media paintings on canvas, wood panels, and paper scrolls which will be put on display starting Jan 15 to March 1 with the opening reception on Sat Jan 19 from 2 to 4pm.

What is fascinating about these paintings is that Chu has also used traditional Chinese Literati formats, such as hanging scroll and hand scroll, but has also added the more contemporary multi-panel format. Where he deviates from tradition is in painting on mostly rigid surfaces that cannot be rolled up, and by using mixed materials and tools rather than the ink and brush paintings that characterize historical Chinese painting.

The paintings in this exhibition, “Mountains and Rivers” extend in a contemporary manner the aims of Chinese Literati Painters of the Song Dynasty.

He borrows from tradition for purposes of self-expression and communication, uses images of nature and explores the theme of man reacting to the vastness of natural landscapes.

It is entirely appropriate that Chu derives his paintings from his painterly responses to mountains and rivers, because, where he lives now in the Lower Mainland of B.C., these geographic features form the backdrop and basis for his, and our, lives.

An aspect of “literati” paintings is to combine calligraphy with images.

In this exhibition’s paintings there are varied calligraphic flourishes of amazing freshness and freedom – free calligraphy as it were, that recall in a way the white writing of Seattle’s famous modern painter, Mark Tobey.  Chu’s fluid marks, with black, white and coloured materials, reference both the forms of “literati” paintings and contemporary abstract painting.

 
The landscape elements are clear to see and “feel,” but veer away from verisimilitude; the strongly individual manner Chu uses varied painting materials is meditative and suggestive rather than descriptive.

Visitors are invited to consider how Chu has made a number of painted works where he has used the traditional art forms of his birthplace and modified them by adopting and by applying artistic practices and methods of Contemporary painting.

The Maple Ridge Art Gallery is located at 11944 Haney Place inside the ACT and operated by the MRPM Arts Council.

For more info call: 604-467-5855.