Reagan Lee(b,1966,Liaoning,China) won a scholarship to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing，from which he graduated in 1990。He then migrated to the Seychelles in 1991 before spending time in Europe 1998-2002.In 2003 he settled in New Zealand and currently works as a full time painter from his studio in Albany。

　　A thorough understanding of the history and traditions of both Chinese and European art is clearly evident in the works in his exhibition，as indeed is a technical virtuosity informed by both Western and Eastern painting traditions。

　　Rose gardens 1-3(catalogue numbers 1-3)，for example，clearly owe a debt to French Impressionism(which was itself influenced by Orientalism)and Landscape (catalogue numbers 4)to the French Modernism so admired by Toss Woollaston (1910-1998)，while the works in the Landscape for the Cross series，with tree trunks and cruciforms in seemingly stark landscapes (catalogue numbers 5-8)，are reminiscent of Australian modernist painting as practised by artists such as Fred Williams(1927-1982)。The application of the ink washes and treatment of the landscape in Moon and Sea (catalogue numbers 17),however，owes more to a Chinese watercolor landscape tradition than a European one。

　　The figurative works in this exhibition，too，display Reagan Lee’s extraordinary depth and skill as an artist：the simplicity and brevity of line in Aria for a Bold Body 1-3(catalogue numbers 9-11)and the compassion and pathos expressed through line in the two Maori figures(catalogue numbers 24,25)。So too the expressionist treatment of the Michael Jackson series，painted in July 2009 the month of Jackson’s sudden death，(catalogue numbers 12-16)where the，at times，frenzied use of line and occasional dabs of colour so eloquently convery the sad，secretive，freakish and sheer tragic nature of the public persona of the star。

　　As with the landscapes，the figurative works reference both Western and Chinese art traditions - the 19th century New Zealand portrait painter Charles Goldie，and the South African born Netherlands artist Marlene Dumas among others。

　　The strength of the exhibition can perhaps be best seen in the collective nature of the show;the roaming across artistic traditions and sheer skill，honesty and clarity in the treatment of the subject matter。An artist doing what an artist does best -searching for themselves。

Wendy Harsant

July 2010