The “Vessel • Raging Waves” exhibition continues to be on view at the Portuguese Bookshop (Livraria Portuguesa) basement gallery until October 22, inviting members of the public to view abstract and representative paintings from artist Anderson Chan Man Kin’s career that also highlight how his art has evolved.
Presenting a total of 32 paintings including oils, digital photography, and mixed media, the exhibition is organised by AFA (Art for All Society) Macau and curated by artist and architect André Lui Chak Keong. It is part of AFA’s New Members Solo Exhibition series.
The representative pieces selected to be showcased are, in all, aimed at showing the evolution of Chan’s “artistic language”, starting with figurative realism, gradually dismantling established forms, and opening up possibilities for abstract expression, a statement displayed at the gallery noted.
Chan is described by a separate statement as being an artist with “a solid foundation in academic painting”, highlighting a key moment when his practice transformed while opening parcel boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the “box” becoming a focus of his visual motifs.
The statement said that the exhibition uses the “box” as a perfect vessel representing rational order, along with natural forms like peaches and lilies, which evoke vitality and perishability. Beyond that, exhibitiongoers are invited to “journey through the multi-layered dimensions of Chan’s practice”, with pieces ranging from those from “The Box” series through to “Raging Waves”, where the canvas is “liberated from all recognisable objects”, the statement added.
Regarding Chan’s background, an artist’s introduction highlighted that his works have been repeatedly selected for national-level exhibitions organised by the Chinese Artists Association, while his pieces have been collected by the Beijing Li Keran Academy of Painting, Guangzhou Academy of Painting, the Rui Cunha Foundation gallery, the Dongguan Guancheng Art Museum, and the Shenzhen Dafen Art Museum.
The artist, who is the recipient of various awards, has also held four solo exhibitions between 2024 and this year, while he has joined a variety of group exhibitions since 2012.
One can continue to view the works daily until next Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Photos taken recently by Rui Pastorin
