Reminiscenza

Opening Reception - Thursdsay, June 3, 6:00 to 8:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Contact: Laura or Cecilia @ 737 - 2629

In this new work Sam Lam continues his exploration of the vestiges of western antiquity. Lam accumulated a large body of photographs during his travels through Europe: Perseus by Cellini in Florence, the Three Graces in Rome, and The Great Altar of Zeus in Pergamun in Berlin are just a few which act as the source for his paintings. The sculptural figures now depicted on a flat surface ironically appear more lifelike and animated than their stone originals. Lam treats his subject (statuary) as if it were a living being, personalizing it. Lam's choice of colour and technique celebrates the beauty and decadence of western civilization. As Jin Li wrote for Here not There, "Lam uses his subject matter to provide meditations on history, humanity, and art. These paintings voice an admiration for the art of the Renaissance, as Lam explores the interaction of space from different angles, depicts the shifts of lights and shapes, 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 entered Vancouver's Emily Carr College of Art and Design where he earned his Diploma in Fine Arts in 1985.

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 featured three hundred works from over four thousand entries. Only three artists were selected from outside China. 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. In 1997 Sam was one of several artists in an exhibition curated by Hou Hanro for Art Beatus Gallery entitled Uncertain Pleasure, Chinese Artists in the 1990's.

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