Excursion Into Philosophy

The theme that has captured my attention as an artist is the feeling of disconnect in
individuals, within and without. My interest in this theme stems from an observation
of modern society and how unhappy and uncomfortable people seem to be living in
it. We live in a society assaulted by advertising, a society in constant want. We are a
generation of people with unrealistic expectations in relationships. We are a
prescription-addled populace that would rather drown out its issues then try to
resolve them. We are a people that no longer feel.
I attempt to portray this disconnect in my works by painting moments. I’m
particularly interested in capturing those moments that go unacknowledged; those
moments of silence sandwiched between conversations or moments of
contemplation. Edward Hopper reacted to the disillusionment of the post-war
Twenties by painting scenes of everyday life. My works attempt to capture a similar
aesthetic by focusing on the quotidian. Like Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits, the
paintings reference film stills. There is a conscious effort to portray these figures in a
cinematic manner. It is important that the viewer gets a feeling of unease within the
work, like they are intruding. The series began as a group of works that used
replicated and altered found stills from movies that influenced me, particularly those
of Chinese auteur Wong Kar-Wai. Feeling a sense of impersonality in these pieces, I
began making paintings based on collaged found imagery and my own photography.
This was spurned by a desire to put more of myself in the works. My current series of
works are an extension of that feeling.
Born into an artistic family as the third-generation, he pursued the same passion as
his grandfather H. Leung, his father Thomas Leung, and his uncle Richard Leung.
Darryl Leung is a New York-based visual artist. He graduated from San Diego State
University with a BA in Applied Arts with an emphasis in Painting.