Leelee Chan (b. 1984, Hong Kong) makes enigmatic sculptures that incorporate urban debris, ancient artifacts, natural materials, industrial and mundane products, generating visual paradoxes in which these objects move seamlessly between past, present and future. Reflecting the shifting urban fabric in her immediate surroundings in Hong Kong, Chan's sculptures undergo an elaborate transformation through tactile experimentation with materials and processes. The artist pushes the limits of her objects' physicality and expands the possibilities of the language of abstraction. Her sculptures provoke a particular atmosphere and feeling that conjure ambient poetry of the built environment. Chan's visceral exploration of the unknown encapsulates her interest in urbanism, architecture, material culture, craft, and antiquities. Her interplay of abstract forms, intricate details, and unexpected materials calls for a physical experience and encourages a new way of seeing and perceiving.
Chan received her MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, in 2009, and her BFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago, in 2006. In 2020, Chan was the recipient of the ninth BMW Art Journey. Her solo exhibitions include: Silica Meadows, Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai (2023), Antinomies, Klemm's, Berlin (2022), Pallet in Repose (Resurfacer), Discoveries, Art Basel Hong Kong (presented by Capsule Shanghai) (2021); and Core Sample, Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai (2019). Her duo exhibitions include Chrysalis Spectre, Matthew Brown Gallery, LA (2024); Strange Strangers, Para Site, Hong Kong (2023). Her selected group exhibitions include Hovering, Capsule Venice, Venice, Italy (2024, curated by Manuela Lietti); Shanshui: Echoes and Signals, M+ Museum, Hong Kong (2024); When We Become Us², Capsule Venice, Venice, Italy (2024, curated by Manuela Lietti); An Atlas of the Difficult World, Macalline Center of Art, Beijing (2024); Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday life, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong (2023); Poetic Heritage in Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2021); Liquid Ground in Para Site, Hong Kong (2021); KölnSkulptur #10 in Skulpturen Park Köln, Cologne (2020); How Do We Begin: X Museum Triennial 1st Edition in X Museum, Beijing (2020); Holy Mosses in Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong (2019); Notes from Pallet Town in Ullens Center for Contemporary Arts Dunes, Beidaihe (2019); Hysteresis in Downs & Ross, New York (2019); Scaffolds of Meaning in Mine Project, Hong Kong (2019); Rehearsal in Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2018). Chan's work can be found in the permanent collections of Long Museum, Shanghai; UBS Art Collection, Hong Kong; M+, Hong Kong; Skulpturen Park Köln, Cologne; J. P. Morgan Chase Art Collection, Hong Kong and Kadist Art Foundation, Paris/San Francisco. Her work has been featured in Frieze, Artforum, Mousse Magazine, Art Asia Pacific, the Financial Times, and Ocula, among others.
