“Whereas, Eric C. Chiang is a talented professional painter recognized for his art work that manifests his quest into the meaning and significance of existence and his empathy of panhuman desperation, love, connections and hope…”
- Felix W. Ortiz, New York State Assembly Citation, September 2016
Eric Chiang: A Multilingual Artist in Pursuit of Illustrating the Human Experience
Eric C. Chiang is a professional painter currently renting studio space at the American Fabrics
Arts Building. He describes himself as grateful to be fluent in a variety of painting styles—from completely abstract, to photorealistic, to expressionistic, to any combination of the three. Chiang approaches his artwork in whichever style(s) are best-suited for his theme at hand, and his themes run the gamut of the human experience—focusing on his quest into the meaning of our existence and expressing his immense empathy for panhuman desperation, connection, hope and love.
Chiang breaks down a number of his series and their significance on his website, which you can read more about here.
Chiang on His Love for the Visual & Auditory Arts
Chiang recalls his childhood, during which he received art training from regular school programs in Taiwan. It was during this phase of his life that he was inspired to become an artist; spending most of his youth absorbing history and techniques for art creation and classical music composition from all sources he could find.
For Chiang, music and painting go hand-in-hand. He has spent his life thus far developing his craft in both musical and visual respects. Though he describes a deeper love for the visual expression of art, Chiang can play the piano and notes how auditory artwork influences his creation process in regards to painting.
Transition & Transformation: From Programming Computers on Wall Street to Composing Works of Art
Eric Chiang himself is an illustration of the concept that nothing is ever etched in stone, and it is never too late to pursue your dreams. You see, despite his love for the arts, Chiang initially pursued a career in IT management, as it seemed the more practical career path in Taiwan during the late 70s and early 80s. This eventually landed him a successful position putting his artistic skills to work as a computer programmer. “When you are composing for a piece of music, especially for orchestra, you must carefully plan out every note and instrument—the same kind of process takes place when programming a computer,” says Chiang.
Despite a successful career on Wall Street, Chiang’s desire to create art continued to burn brightly inside him year after year, until he finally resolved to become a full time artist.
After leaving the corporate world, Chiang spent 3-4 years sharpening his artistic skills in order to reach artistic maturity before networking with other artists. He started off knowing absolutely no one in the industry—no networks, no connections, no art professors. In 2011, he began his search for artists and auditions, slowly but surely building up a group of friends and artists.
When asked if he noticed a shift in his artwork from creating alone versus expanding his circle in the art industry, Chiang recounts how at first, he was totally self-absorbed—creating things he wanted to create with no particular influence. Once exposed to fellow artists and their work, he experienced a complete transformation, and in turn, his artwork transformed as well.
Chiang on Present-Day Commissions & Goals
In terms of noteworthy commissions, Eric Chiang is grateful to have, on average, three exhibitions taking place on any given day over the last year and a half. At the time of his interview, Chiang was working on three commissioned pieces; one from Taiwan, one from Connecticut, and one from Florida.
These days, Chiang’s ultimate goal is to connect with people, to go into their hearts and resonate with their human experience. He does this through a mixed variety of artistic mediums, with musical composition and painting always at the center of his creative expression.
Looking Towards the Future: Using Interactive Technologies to Translate His Artistic Message
As far as where he sees his future heading as an artist, Chiang notes he is gradually leaning more and more towards multimedia projects that marry both visual and auditory art. He notes making friends with Yuan-Chen Li—a well-established Taiwanese composer who graduated from Chicago University. Chiang and Li collaborated on a multimedia piece that combined music and art to demonstrate an environmental theme, which they performed at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas in 2018 (recording of the performance below).
He has begun to explore the world of virtual reality and how it might bridge the gap that exists between paintings and music. His hope is to integrate the two experiences in such a way that truly expresses his message in a manner that is most palatable for his audience.
He continues to explore 3D sculptures and interactive mechanisms.
Eric Chiang on Renting Studio Space with AmFab
When asked about his experiences renting studio space at AmFab, Eric Chiang feels strongly that having a space dedicated specifically for creating art is vital. The very first time he visited AmFab, Chiang met half a dozen artists he had previously known from the Artist Collective of Westport. He describes his transition into his studio space as a wholly positive one. He spends six days per week at the studio, from 9am to 5pm each day. Chiang notes that having that special space for creating helps to keep work and home separate— which is a very healthy approach for any occupation.
Not only does his studio space serve him on a physical and mental level, but working around the other artists in the building stimulates Chiang to create, as at any given time he can walk through the halls and be inspired by the energy of the other AmFab artists. The sense of companionship he draws from working around artists like himself helps Chiang’s artwork to thrive and keeps him focused on his creative process. “I absolutely love it,” Chiang expresses, to which we at AmFab say: The feeling is absolutely mutual!