Art Beatus Gallery is delighted to present, Recollection Reconnection, featuring new and past works by gallery represented artists David Ip; Katie Cheung; Guo, Shao Gang; Johnson Wu; Hye-Kyung Kim; Ma, Ke Lu; Qin, Feng; Shen, Qin; Shyh-Charng Lo; Shi Hui; Taiga Chiba; Xu, Bing; Xu, Weide; Zheng, Guo Gu. The exhibition begins October 22, 2002 and runs through to January 18, 2003.

David Ip, a Vancouver-based artist, often paints the average person at work. Some subjects are Ip's very own colleagues, such as a custodial maintenance person sweeping the floors of a classroom in an educational institution. The principle reason for creating these paintings is to give people in our communities a more profound understanding of those who work in positions that are generally 'disregarded' or considered to be menial labour. David's bold and edgy paintings are in definite contrast to the vibrant, emotive canvases of another Vancouver artist, Katie Cheung. Katie has developed a visual language in her work that brings into play a relationship between representation and abstraction. The artist's goal is to bring pleasure to the visual experience and convey a sense of delight in the world around us - her paintings take us through an exploration of colour and form that result in moving works of art. Artist, Guo, Shao Gang is compelled to use the strength of colour in his paintings. A professor from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art in China, Guo feels that a painting should present the feel and movement of poetry, creating a heightened, elegant sensation. Painting from life is not the copy of nature; one cannot paint without feeling the need to use colour to express ideas and true feelings which reflect the artist's work and spirit. If it is true that an artist's work reflects his personality, then Johnson Wu's spirit is clearly revealed in his use of vibrant and energetic colours. Originally from the busy, commercial city of Shanghai, Johnson Wu has been a resident of Vancouver for 6 years. His architectural landscapes are uplifting, almost whimsical, and appear to come to life with great brilliance and vitality, as if dancing to their own music. "Being an artist for more than twenty years, I hope to create my own style that is not too abstract and yet, not too boring".

Hye-Kyung Kim, a Korean-Canadian artist living in Victoria, BC, is drawn to honesty and the humour of folk art which is evident in her own work - handmade Korean paper, Chinese ink, and coloured powders made from elements of nature by the artist herself, present the viewer with a sense of serenity and elegance. She chooses to focus on the essence of her subject matter, disregarding frivolous details. Her paintings reveal her love of nature and her affinity to the unpretentious beauty and zest of a modest, rustic way of life. One more artist who clearly demonstrates his love of nature through his work is Vancouver local, Shyh-Charng Lo. Originally born in Nagano, Japan, Lo's approach to painting the West Coast landscape is a sophisticated blend of insight and tranquility, combining the vast with the intimate in his veiled view of the mountains, the ocean, the sky. Muted and calming colours combined with his choice of landscape impart feelings of peaceful quietude, "The images of mountains and water especially have always moved me and lie close to my heart. My art does not chase after realism or any current art trend, but is simply an expression of my innermost peace of mind". A New York-based artist since 1990, Xu, Bing continues to manipulate language in his art, delighting us with the fresh understanding of how the power of words play into our lives. "New English Calligraphy" combines the traditional Chinese calligraphic format on hanging scrolls and a quasi-Chinese script invented by the artist that can be read by Western audiences. Using well-known children's nursery rhymes, treasured poems from both Western and Asian cultures, and quotes from Mao Zedong, Xu excites and intrigues his audiences. Taiga Chiba moved to Canada from Japan during the 1980's, and now lives in Edmonton. The ideas behind his monotype prints are inspired by his travels in India. Chiba, a visual artist feels the spirit of the past, both of the people and the land, and conveys this in the images of his prints, "In the early morning, I went out to a morning market, the air was cool and fresh. Dogs were digging sand to nest themselves in a still, cool, wet hole. People on a street were about to wake up. A chai shop was open with the steam of hot milk tea... The market was busy setting up shops..."

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Traveler 1
Katie Cheung

After the Rain
Johnson Wu

Nature Landscape
Shyh-Charng Lo