Exhibition Dates and Location
Joe Chang's solo exhibition Dog Walker is on display May 9th - July 2nd, 2026, in the Township of Langley Civic Building 2nd Floor Gallery (20338 65 Ave, Langley, BC V2Y 3J1). The Civic Facility hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
Artist Statement
Since I have been engaged in art creation for more than 40 years, I have always followed a creative philosophy, that is, art creation must start from the true feelings of the individual, and search for and discover the flashpoints that first moved me from my own experience. After that, I try to find a unique way of artistic expression with personal originality, and strive for a perfect combination of content and form.
The “Dog Walker” series is my most recent work, inspired by my own ordinary life. In the city I live in, in my neighborhood and in the apartment I live in, I often see dogs and dog lovers and families, and they are everywhere, showing the interaction between humans and dogs. This is a kind of human and natural ecological connection, is the exchange of emotions between humans and animals, but also human nature of their own aspirations, and walking the dog behind this appearance should be the beautiful human nature is called to be embodied. It is based on such observation and thinking that my creative inspiration keeps flowing.
The painting forms and methods used in my Dog Walker series of paintings are the culmination of many years of thought, exploration and experimentation. Drawing on traditional Chinese ink painting techniques, I intermingle ink and simple colors to form the main tone of the paintings, and use water as the medium to paint on top of specific film materials. The collision and entanglement of ink and color, water and material produce many wonderful visual effects in painting, and the resulting image texture is ever-changing and unpredictable. It is through my continuous experimentation that I have discovered some inevitability in many occasions of chance, and have found some techniques and rules hidden in the seemingly natural images. After many years of continuous experimentation and groping, this is my original method has been basically finalized, and now I can draw what I think and what I want through this unique expression technique. Throughout my creative career, this unique form and method of painting is not formed independently, but is the result of years of cultivation in the fields of painting, animation, design, etc. It can also be said to be the inevitable organic product of crossborder work and creation. Therefore, I understand that my creation is the result of merging a certain popular image with fashionable animation, traditional figurative painting with contemporary abstract art or concept.
Painting has a long way to go, and art creation never ends. I hope my “Dog Walker” series of paintings can bring the viewers the warmth of humanity and the enjoyment of art.
About the Artist - Joe Chang