Top Winner of 2020 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore),
Established Artist Category

From 27 April 2021 to 31 July 2021
UOB Art Gallery, 80 Raffles Place, UOB Plaza 1, Ground Floor

Zhang Chunlei’s paintings are based on impressions, inspired by his memories of wonderful and touching stories that would soon become less distinct with the passage of time. Using a combination of dots, lines, planes and diverse colours, he often integrates abstract and concrete elements, established figures and popular culture icons in his painting, offering different themes to viewers.

The artworks in this exhibition are the culmination of years of ideation, painting and exploration. The first drafts of some of the artworks, such as Fishing Village 渔村, Tales of the Old House 老屋故事, Tales at the Merlion 鱼尾狮旁的故事 and RuYi 如意 were conceptualised at different times, yet the strength of the same idea prevailed, bringing each to a final visualisation in 2021.

Through the depiction of traditional stories and scenes, the artist aims to introduce Chinese culture to today’s audience. Through the use of cartoon icons, he hopes to inject fresh elements that can infuse the work with positive energy and new hopes, particularly in this season as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic – where the brave, stubborn, humorous and optimistic spirit of the cartoon characters, reflects the spirit that never dies but lives after each destructive episode, sharing a delightful message of hope.

The artist’s visual aesthetics are distinctive. In favour of half-hidden expressions instead of the full reveal, Chunlei’s artistic techniques reflect the kind of beauty favoured by the Oriental culture – as this quote from the poem The Pi-pa Player by Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) sums up: “Only after our repeated calls, did she appear; her face was still half-hidden behind a Chinese pi-pa lute.”

Chunlei believes that visual art works should not be over-analysed that may adversely affect the viewer’s first impression of the work. He believes the beauty of the work lies in the viewer’s infinite imagination and interpretation of it, where different cultural backgrounds will provoke different views.

All artworks except for the winning artwork, Art Stages Pasar 2020, is available for sale.

UOB is the organiser and sponsor of Impression +.