Kevin Chin - Refuge

This afternoon I went to the opening of Kevin Chin's latest exhibition Refuge at This Is No Fantasy + dianne tanzer gallery. Comprising five paintings, the exhibition focuses on the themes of journey, transition and sanctuary. It explores global migration, with time spent in Indonesia and Japan influencing the mixed sense of place in the works.

Kevin's paintings are very detailed with some abstract portions, and I really liked his use of bright colors. It was good to be able to catch up with both Kevin and his partner Clinton at the opening, and they will soon be heading off to the US as Kevin has an artist residency at Yellowstone National Park. Refuge runs until 25 July 2017.

Kevin Chin- Playing House

Tonight I went to the closing night and catalogue launch for Kevin Chin's art show Playing House at The West Wing in Melbourne Central.  The blurb for the show says it all:

What happens when you combine the First Home Owners Grant, TV home makeover shows, and a clueless couple of the Ikea generation undertaking their first home renovation?  Playing House offers a whimsical look at how rising housing prices and the domestic blitz craze affect a generation that refuses to grow up.

The show covers Kevin and Clinton's renovations of their unit through photos, paintings and other pieces, including a life size vinyl laminate bear rug and "panic room" made up of thousands of different colored paint card samples.  I liked how Kevin interspersed photos of their renovations with ones of Clinton's baking, which added to the theme of home.  It was good to finally see the show and celebrate the launch of a catalogue of Kevin's work.