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Graduating with a Master of Fine Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing in 2008 and a Diploma in Illustration from the One Academy of Communication Design in 1998, Gan Chin Lee is a figurative artist who is known to have excellent draftsmanship and follows a time consuming process of creating images by first hand sketching in his studio. Experimentation with perspective and composition are a few of Chin Lee’s tools for creating thought provoking works which are remarkable for their depth and relevance, reflecting contemporary Malaysian society today.

Chin Lee has exhibited widely in Malaysia, China and Taiwan. His latest exhibitions in 2010 include shows such as ‘Tempo’ at Starhill Gallery, ‘Art Triangle: The Gray Zone Project’ at National Art Gallery Malaysia and ‘The Energy Trap’ at Valentine Willie Fine Art. In 2009, Chin Lee exhibited at the ‘14th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition’ in Tai Chung City, Taiwan and gained an Honourable Mention Award for his work in this show. While at the One Academy of Communication Design, Chin Lee won the Top Ten Award in 1998 and later in his career he was winner of the 2009 Malaysian Emerging Artist Award (MEAA) and a finalist in the 2010 Starhill Gallery Visual Artist Award. His works can be seen in publications such as Gold Mountain Blues published by Zhang Ling and Oil Painting Course: The First Studio published by Yue Wen Yi in Beijing.

Known for dreamlike yet expressive portraits that are classically inspired but done in an instantly recognisable style, Chin Lee’s works address issues that govern the Malaysian socio-political condition. His paintings are ongoing “conversations” about the Malaysian identity and Status Anxiety VI is an excellent example depicted in quintessential Malaysian mamak stalls. Here, a woman stares into the distance in a listless manner, perhaps contemplating the future of the country or questioning the status quo of Malaysians. Referencing the artist’s own teenage and adult experiences of mamak culture in Malaysia, viewers are exposed to a glimpse of boredom, anxiety and feeling of stagnancy as well as emotional detachment and isolation. This painting is a masterful portrayal of Malaysian people and culture today done in painterly realism - revealing Chin Lee’s advanced understanding of perspective and proportion, form and composition.