The CollectorHong Kong painter Gaylord Chan and his irrepressible will to live
Chan is in his 90s and can no longer paint with a brush, but his new exhibition at Hanart TZ shows that where there’s a will there’s a way
“I am fascinated by death and am looking forward to it,” he said. “In fact, I think death is fun […] I’ve told my friends that when I die, they should all bring a compass when they visit me. If the needle of the compass moves, it means I’m saying goodbye to them all.”
Twelve years later and Chan has cheated death again. He had a stroke in June and was in hospital for three weeks. Now he’s back at home recuperating. His friends are pleased to report that he hasn’t lost the power of speech. “He is a tough man. I really admire someone with such a will to live,” says Ian Findlay-Brown, editor and publisher of Asian Art News.
Findlay-Brown says Chan’s art is never about any specific issue but, he believes, it is a way for the artist to deal with the deep psychological scars he has carried since the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, when he was in his 20s, as well as his frequent struggles with health issues. “You cannot bring up the war with him – he still gets very emotional about it,” the editor says. “One expects some kind of rage to come through art by someone who has struggled with his memories. But it surprises me that the toughness is not there.”