Chrissy Cheung: the
importance of movement

An original artist explores the pictural transcription of motion

Text and photos by Luc Archambault

January 3, 2017

If you don’t know Chrissy Cheung, you’ve probably seen her work. She has two giant paintings hanging in the lobby of Place Ville-Marie, in downtown Montreal. This artist originates from Toronto, but came to study at Concordia University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000. From there, she moved to Calgary and worked as a scenic painter on film visual designs. Besides this commercial work, she continued her own private production and earned an artist residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2005. That same year, she moved back to Montreal. She now shares her time between Vancouver and Montreal.

Highly inspired by dance and music, she tries to capture their essence in a temporal and physical way…

From a very young age, Chrissy has always been involved with art. At age seven, she was enrolled in ballet and music classes. Her first drawings also stem from that period. She felt enticed towards a pictural transcription of motion. And this has permeated her work ever since. She feels that this aspect of her vision catches the viewer’s eyes and attention. Highly inspired by dance and music, she tries to capture their essence in a temporal and physical way, by the use of contrasting colour schemes, forms and composition.

She admits never having delved into sculpture. Not yet. But with an artistic vision as keen as hers, who knows what the future might bring. Her works have been bought by the City of Montreal, Morguard Investments in Vancouver, to name a few, and by numbers of private collectors throughout the world. She is definitely an artist to be reckoned with. And she is easily approachable, always smiling, patient and talkative. She takes the time needed to explain her vision and her work with generosity and an enticing shyness. Next time you see her name mentioned in a showing, be sure not to miss it. It will be worth your trip. If you plan on investing in art, her name should be on top of your list.

Chrissy Cheung’s paintings are currently on view at 1, Place Ville Marie, Montreal, ground floor,
and at a group exhibition of painters at Creative Coworkers, 343 Railway, Unit B1 (buzz #010), Vancouver, BC until June 16.
Studio hours: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm or by appointment
Closing reception: Friday, June 16 from 5 pm to 7 pm

Visit Chrissy Cheun’s website

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