Their beatific smiles are almost identical. One, little more than the sweep of a black-dipped paintbrush across canvas, conveys the inner peace of a Buddhist monk in repose. Rendered in almost childlike cartoon fashion, his simple features – eyes closed in serenity, fingers toying with the beads of a bracelet, elbow propped lazily against floor – transform this representation of traditional Cambodian divinity, a higher being, into something altogether more accessible to us mere mortals.
The other, carved of human flesh, is that of the artist himself. Sitting cross-legged in front of his vast monk-bearing canvas, French-Canadian cartoonist Stephane Delapree’s ample smile gives more than a hint of the essential nature of his latest exhibition. Entitled Happy Painting and opening this month at The Plantation’s Lotus Gallery, it’s an unprecedented collection of canvases the artist set about creating when he first set foot on Cambodian soil 20 years ago.
From his early days crafting, on paper, everything from comic strips to record covers, magazines and theatre posters to book illustrations, Delapree has since progressed to painting on ever-larger canvases to the point where, today, each of his works are over two metres high. Says the gallery: ‘The artist’s vision is naïve, with figurative motifs and vibrant colours. Stef’s paintings overflow with the joy of life and serenity. He constructs worlds where bliss and kindness reign supreme, as remedy for the unhappiness surrounding us.’
WHO: Stephane Delapree
WHAT: Happy Painting exhibition opening
WHERE: Lotus Gallery, Plantation Hotel, #28 Street 184
WHEN: 6pm October 29
WHY: Don’t worry, be happy!