About the Artist

(B1997 Kuching, Malaysia) Gavin Chai is a Malaysian Chinese figurative painter and sculptor based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand. His work is poetic in nature, reflecting on the human condition and our search for meaning in an ever-shifting world. Bringing together realism with elements of the fantastic, Gavin draws inspiration from European and Chinese artistic traditions. He completed his Bachelor of Visual Arts at AUT in 2020, and is currently represented by Föenander galleries, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and Page Galleries in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington.

Selected Honors and Awards

2023 Finalist, Molly Morpeth Canaday Painting and Drawing Award, Whakatane, NZ.

2021 Zinni Douglas Merit award, Walker and Hall Art Award, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, NZ. 

2021 Supreme Award, Excellence in Painting Award, Youth Award, Cleveland National Art Awards, Otago Art Society, Dunedin, NZ.

2020 Main Prize (20 -25), National Youth Art Award 2020, Artspost Gallery, Hamilton, NZ. 

2019 Centago Mining Merit Award Arts Gold Award, Central Stories Museum, Alexandra, NZ. 

2018 Finalist Adam Portraiture Award, Wellington, NZ.

2018 Finalist NZ Painting and Printmaking Award, Hamilton, NZ.

2017 1st Prize Winner Waitakere Trust Art Award, Auckland, NZ.

Exhibition History

2024 Aotearoa Art Fair (18 - 21 April), Viaduct Events Centre (Exhibiting with Foenander Galleries), Auckland NZ.

2024 All the stars in the sky (14 Dec 2023 - 27 Jan 2024), Page Galleries, Wellington NZ.

2023 Strange Paradise (23 June - 15 July), Foenander Galleries, Auckland, NZ.

2023 Trees (Gavin Chai, Megan Houching, Ekaterina Dimieva; 20 May - 17 June), Malcolm Smith Gallery, Auckland, NZ.

2022 Interiors (Solo exhibition; 16 Sepyember - 04 October), Foenander Galleries, Auckland, NZ.

 2022 Idyll (Tori Beeche, brunelle dias, Gavin Chai; 16 June - 09 July), PAGE GALLERIES, Wellington NZ.

2021 David Shennan and Gavin Chai (15 July - 03 August), Foenander Galleries, Auckland NZ.

2020 AD20 Grad Show (21 Nov), WE Building, AUT City Campus, Auckland CBD, NZ.

2019 Character Study: the figure in action and inaction (09 March - 14 April 2019), Arts in Oxford, Oxford, NZ.

2019 Accept each word spoken with love (04 - 20 February 2019), Northart, Auckland, NZ.

2019 Light of Experience: people to objects (17 June - 06 July 2019), Kumeu arts centre, NZ.

2018 "Blue and White" Exhibition (06 August - 26 August), Northart, Auckland, NZ.

2018 Life as a Builder Exhibition (17 July - 08 August 2018), Franklin Arts Centre Community Gallery, NZ.

2015 New Works (04 - 24 May), Estuary Arts Centre,  Auckland, NZ.

Works in Collection

Porirua City Council 

The Stevenson Collection

New Zealand Portrait Gallery

James Wallace Art Collection

Education

Certificate in Applied Technology (Carpentry) 2016, Unitec

Bachelor of Visual Arts, AUT