Excerpts on the series “Panhandle” from:
Artweek. "Christopher Chinn at Overtones." Dambrot, Shana Nys. June 2008. vol. 39 issue 5: page 17.
What Chinn has undertaken with this project thus has profound sociopolitical foundations as well as psychological subtext. In paying attention to those to whom it is rarely paid, it is analogous to Gustave Courbet’s transgressive Stone Breakers (1849), considered brashly bohemian and inappropriate for lavishing that kind of technical finesse and dispassionate formal accomplishment on peasants doing manual labor. And so it resonated as a political statement and sparked a realist movement.
The images Chinn’s series, especially the most unsettling ones like Downtown Lullaby and Under the Bridge, follow Courbet’s lead, bringing unflinching frankness and a steady, deep gaze to portraits in which the subjects seem to be suffering physical and emotional breakdowns right in front of your eyes. Surprisingly, or not perhaps that surprising, the main element that comes through is their stubborn dignity. You see them being seen. It’s powerful stuff.
His facility with expressive, variegated brushwork, manipulations of scale and perspective, facial expressivity and dexterous line work are shown to equal advantage in the vast wide passages of pure abstraction as in the meticulous evocations of skin and hair. The patience, detail, energy and, let’s just admit it, beauty of the unlikeliest moments are the secret delight of the work.
Excerpts on the sculpture series “Encounter” from:
The Huffington Post. "Invisible People: Fighting Homelessness With Art." Bell, Ryan J. 7/20/11.
Great art makes you stop and think and ask questions; the type of questions that keep us human and guard the common good of our society. That is exactly what happened for me when I visited Christopher Chinn at his one-day installation on skid row in Los Angeles, where I spent about an hour talking to him about his vision for this project...
Chinn’s commitment to his work goes beyond the aesthetic. He believes that his art can be a part of challenging people’s attitudes and choices. Ever mindful of exploiting his subjects, he is committed to transforming his city into a more just and equitable place where all human life can flourish. By drawing attention to the grotesque, dark side of our society, Chinn hopes to raise important questions about economic power, civic responsibility and democracy, which need our constant attention to thrive. But this is precisely where we need the most help — in keeping our attention on the thing that we most want to turn away from.
New Times SLO. "Evocative, Brave, Gross, Awesome." Weltner, Anna. 8/28/13. vol. 28 issue 5.
The other side of the room has been bisected with a divider. On one side, several smaller objects can be seen on pedestals. Of particular poignancy are L.A. artist Christopher Chinn’s maquettes of homeless people, part of a bigger project for which the artist placed site-specific, life-sized ceramic statues of the homeless throughout Skid Row. Even in miniature, Chinn’s pieces confront our conscience by commemorating a class of people we try to forget exist; a class many people would sooner let suffer and die than touch. Chinn shows the humanity of the forgotten—ironically, by rendering them as objects.
Long Beach Post. "Christopher Chinn: Cardboard Sidewalks." Wolff, Sander R. 11/1/13.
On Saturday, the Cultural Alliance of Long Beach is presenting Cardboard Sidewalks, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures created by Christopher Chinn. Chinn’s current work is a meditation on homelessness, and the humanity of those who often feel invisible...
“Art was a natural bridge for me, a way to begin a conversation with them, a reason to sit with them and engage them. I had to confront the negative stereotypes, as well as my pity. I should clarify too, the homeless in that area are chronically homeless, the most likely to die on the street. Many had been homeless for five to ten years. I would sit and talk with them, especially the people that lived on my block... To have someone sit down next to them on the street and be interested enough to want to draw them and to talk to them, hear their stories... I had people try to give me things out of their shopping carts, like plastic flowers and old radios, because they were so thankful for my attention.
“At that point I realized sculptures would be much more compelling than paintings. I imagined these (sculptures) living on the street. I imagined over time that they would show signs of that life on the street. I hoped that they would get beaten up, tagged, broken, worn, etc. They are highly interactive when they are on the street, and I love that about them... After they (have) lived on the street and (have) collected some scars, I (will) show them in a gallery, when they were too broken for the street.”
“(This work) has brought me in contact with a lot of wonderful people, and great organizations. It has given me the opportunity to engage this very difficult problem plaguing our society – a way to try to make a difference. It has completely shaped my expectations for what I want my work to do, and how I want it to live in the world.”
Excerpts on the series “Los Angeles Encampments” from:
The National News. “Homeless in Hollywood: LA’s Rough Sleepers on the Rise Amid Pandemic.” Aguirre, Holly. 12/15/21.
Not all Angelenos are turning a blind eye to the problem.
Painter Christopher Chinn moved to Los Angeles for school and is now an art teacher at Long Beach City College. When Mr. Chinn came to the Skid Row-adjacent Toy Factory district, he was confronted with homelessness on a daily basis.
“I saw it every day, right outside our door,” Mr. Chinn told The National. “I knew I had to deal with it emotionally.” For Mr. Chinn, that meant volunteering and painting both the encampments as well as homeless people's portraits. “It really is the issue that defines Los Angeles and it hasn't got any better. It just got worse and worse,” he said.
“(These) stories (have been) told by journalists. They’ve been told in photography. For me, it's got to show up in fine art and painting. It can't be missing from that line of our cultural memory.”
Excerpt on the portrait of Gary Brown from:
OC Weekly. "'Obversations' at Long Beach City College Has Artworks Talking." Barton, Dave. 3/2/16.
Christopher Chinn’s painting Gary Brown has the musician and artist dressed in black, highlighting the shiny gold saxophone he’s playing, eyes closed, serenely lost in the music he’s making. The brick and mortar behind him gives the feel of a New York hole- in-the-wall, the weighty daubs of paint giving it the texture of a warm embrace. The rigid blocks of charcoal and pastel in Brown’s drawing of Chinn makes him resemble Jesus, his dark facial hair and the whites of his eyes edged with blue and yellow chalk give him a bold serenity worthy of Buddha.