Opening: Thursday, September 7, 6pm

Diane Farris Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Sam Lam.

In his new paintings, Lam continues his exploration of the vestiges of western antiquity. This exhibition represents a year's "love affair" with images he experienced during his travels throughout Europe, especially northern Italy. The majority of the work is based upon the sight of the autumn light bathing the forms of Antonio Canova at La Gypsotheque de Canova in the village of Possagno. These poetic sculptural figures, depicted on the flat surface of canvas, ironically appear more lifelike and animated than their stone originals due to the painstaking pointillist technique he employs. He explores the interaction of space from different angles, depicting the shifts of light and shape, and the subtle transformation of tones.

Born in Guangzhou, China, in 1963, Lam studied at the Guangzhou College of Art before immigrating to Canada in 1981. He became a Canadian Citizen in 1985 , and received his diploma in Fine Arts from Emily Carr College (now Institute) of Art and Design in 1987.

In 1993 Lam won the prestigious Xun Shu Award for his painting exhibited at the Biennial Painting Exhibition at the National Gallery of Beijing. The largest Contemporary Art Exhibition held in China since Tianamen Square, the exhibition featured three hundred works from over four thousand entries. Lam was among the five Chinese artists shown in Here not There, an exhibition held in 1995 at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The exhibition explored the issues of artists born and educated in China who have re-established themselves in Vancouver.

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