Showcasing more than 60 pieces of artworks including sketches and paintings, the exhibition “Living in the Memories of the Future Self” is the first solo presentation in the artistic life of Crystal Chan.
As a local artist, Crystal has undertaken a path that is quite different from the others. A graduate of the Institute for Tourism Studies in 2009, Crystal has been working as a freelance translator, project coordinator, performer and bookshop attendant for the past five years. These different experiences have not only taken her to different places in Europe, America and Asia; they have also brought into her life many different people with their various cultures and stories to be told.
“I think people’s faces are so interesting; the compositions of the eyes, the ears, the mouths, the noses in their facial expressions, all tell different stories of their own,” she says.
Led by the feelings of the human body, Crystal enjoys dwelling in a sea of emotions.
“I am so drawn by emotions that very often I am just drifting along…losing myself into something quite indescribable with words.”
From a young age, Crystal has been fascinated by people’s faces, which has led her into the art of portraiture. A good portrait is not about the geography of the person’s face but is a revelation of the soul.
“I admire so much the artwork of Egon Schiele because I think it was all about his feelings towards the people he was related to,” Crystal explains.
Courageous and honest in her approach, Crystal does not shy away from her preference for sketching rather than painting.
“I prefer sketches because I do not like to think about my strokes. I transfer my feelings directly onto the paper and have no second thoughts about them. As for painting, perhaps due to my limited skill, I still need to think about the techniques that I am applying on the canvas.”
Crystal’s path as an artist stems from the sensitivity that she embodies in her being. It is not so much about the technique or the style, but is an adventure into the sentiments of the human soul. The disfiguration of her portraiture provides the space where she is able to express her intense feelings for the people she loves, creating tangible and distinctive art froms.
In “Living in the Memories of the Future Self”, Crystal has collected her artworks from the last four years into a sentimental universe that she has created. Having been accepted by the renowned School of Visual Arts in New York, she is now preparing for her big move on to her future self.
“It seemed appropriate that I should have an exhibition before I leave, to have a kind of conclusion about the past. Feelings are memories. I think I have always been living in the memories of my life,” Crystal says.
Between the memories of the past and the expectations of the future, is the present moment of now. And as she contemplates the next chapter in her life, she expresses some concern about the considerable tuition fees that she will need to pay, more than MOP300,000 per year.
“I am a bit worried about the financial reality of my decision to go to study in New York, but at the same time I am hopeful. I will try my best. If everything goes well, I can start the school by the beginning of 2015.”
At the age of 28, Crystal is about to embark on a new journey in her artistic studies. With passion and courage as her guardian angels, it is yet too early to foretell what will come next. But judging by what she shows between her “memories” and her “future self”, the promising feeling of her achievement is firmly grounded in the here and now.
