Chrissy Cheung was born into a large traditional Chinese family in Toronto. As a girl, she became interested in art at the age of seven. This art form reflected her personality as it mirrored her inquisitive and introspective eye. She moved to Montreal to study at Concordia University, where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000. In 2005, she fulfilled an artist residency at the Banff Centre, Alberta. She has contributed to the Salon des Arts at the 2008 Osheaga Festival. Her solo exhibitions include Structured Abstractions at the 2 of 2 Gallery, Toronto, Stairway at Galerie LSB, Dessins contemporains at Maison de la Culture Plateau Mont-Royal in Montréal and more recently, Bewilder at Capulet Art Gallery in Richmond.
Chrissy completed the Freebird mural in Vancouver’s Chinatown (2019, now defunct) and, more recently, her abstract paintings are featured at the Signature Mazda dealership in Richmond, BC Mazda and at Gyro Mazda dealership in East York, Toronto. These projects exemplify Chrissy’s increased focus on finding public-art contexts for her work.
Chrissy volunteers as the Director for the Painter8 Arts Society since 2017. Aside from these independent art projects, she works as a scenic painter and artist in the Motion Picture industry through IATSE on Hollywood productions.
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Which ’hood are you in?
I live in the urban and beautiful neighbourhood of East Van.
What do you do?
I am a visual artist working in the style I term ‘abstract narrative’. My work is informed by urban density, colour theory, and colour relationships, with a deep respect for the Bauhaus school of thought. My ideas are transformed into contemporary paintings and works on paper. I believe these 2 disciplines captivate the expressions I wish to convey in art and reflect humanity.
What are you currently working on?
I recently finished mounting a solo exhibition titled ‘Bewilder’ that covers 2 floors at Capulet Art Gallery in Richmond, BC. The work includes large-scale paintings as large as 10 feet x 6 feet and more tactile contemporary drawings that I refer to as my idea-boards and mini-paintings. I plan to start fresh with a brand new canvas soon.
Where can we find your work?
Art exhibition “The Glass City by Painter8,” showcased all of the artists in the PAINTER8 Arts Society at 1310 Adanac St, East Vancouver. Each artist was featured in a separate window where we projected our artwork onto a large commercial glass building. It was exciting to transform this building with art for an after-dark public art installation. I participated alongside artists: Rafael Sottolichio, Melanie Garcia, David Belcourt, Jessica Yeandle-Hingnell, Lizzie McCorquodale and Justin Ogilive. I also show in the North Van Arts Art Rental program.
