James Lee Chiahan
Home: Montréal, Quebec
Title: Have an apple every day and then you don’t have to go to the doctor
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 41 x 51 cm
Website: jlee.ca
Instagram: @buttmcbutt
ARTIST STATEMENT
The title is something along the lines of what my Dad used to say to us whenever we were eating apples. Growing up with his butchered idioms and utterly unique Mauritian-Creole-French-Mandarin affected English was sometimes hilarious and—as new arrivals to Canada, trying our best to fit in—deeply embarassing.
Now that he’s gone, it’s just love that remains. This painting describes the surprising lightness and forgiveness that I found in losing him and remembering him. It captures a very normal, unflattering moment around a meal, when we often felt closest to one another.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
James Lee Chiahan (b.1990) is a Taiwanese-Canadian artist based in Montréal, Canada.
I am fascinated by how images can pull on the heartstrings in a universal way like a melody or a meal. The emotional capacities of painting and drawing are the driving force behind my practice.
My art explores the bittersweetness of life and the human experience, expressed through the lens of personal experience and remembrance. I am drawn to images that have a strong emotional resonance, often depicting moments in mundanity that are deeply affecting and difficult to articulate. At its core, my work celebrates and laments what we hold dear.