“To me, the objects people have used and the spaces they have lived in carry deeply personal emotions and memories. These memories do not disappear; they follow us into the future.” — Eric Lai Wai Lam

3812 Gallery Hong Kong is delighted to present “Tranquil State: Eric Lai Wai Lam Solo Exhibition”. Three years in the making, this exhibition presents works across series, media, and scales — offering a quiet space to pause, slow down and breathe. “Tranquil State: Eric Lai Wai Lam Solo Exhibition” opens from 28 August to 23 October 2026, with an Opening Reception held on 27 August at 6 – 8pm. 

The title “Tranquil State” evokes the quietude and inner order essential to Gongbi painting, while also playing on its Chinese homophone, “secret language”, suggesting an intimate, gentle, and inclusive dialogue.

Two major works, 11:11 and 22:22, drawn inspiration from two Cantonese songs - Joey Yung’s Yellow Door (黃色大門) and Denise Ho’s Red Roof (紅屋頂), both penned by Wyman Wong. The lyrics describe the protagonist building an inner castle through whimsical fantasies while grappling with loneliness and misunderstangding – a sentiment that struck a deep chord with Lai. In response, Lai interweaves the lyrical - fawns, rockets, descending angels - with fragments of memories from his own memories. Though deeply personal and emotionally charged, these traces are deliberately encoded, never fully revealing themselves at a glance. The result is a visual cipher, transforming the canvases into "songs that can be seen."

In 2023, 3812 Gallery launched the YA! Young Art platform, and we have continued our close collaboration - from the group show “Seeking Connections” to Art Central 2026, and now to his debut gallery solo “Tranquil State.” Over the years, his sparrows has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from objectively observed birds to “protagonists” within the frame, and further to “middlemen” and “surrogates” bearing human emotions. This is not merely a role substitution, but a journey from detached observation to self-confrontation. The sparrow becomes the protagonist precisely because Lai is willing to confront himself through it; it is not assigned a role to perform but instead enters the frame on his behalf - to feel, to live, and to contain what beyond words.

“Over the span of three years, stroke by stroke, he has rebuilt the remnants of the past—rural memories, urban clamour, inner struggles—into a place imbued with warmth and reminiscence,” remarks Agnes Wu, Exhibition Curator and Director of 3812 Gallery.

Eric Lai Wai Lam continues to explore the possibilities of contemporary art, wielding time as his brush and gentleness as his foundation. We invite you to step into the world of “Tranquil State”, a space to settle the heart and linger. In deciphering its "secret language," one finds a pure sense of peace and delight.

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